The price of power
by Enigma Hakuteiken
Summary: A different ending to Ichigo's battle with Aizen at the end of the winter war. The Hogyoku responds to Ichigo's desire to protect and perhaps some of his other deeper, repressed desires as well. Eventual Ichigo/Harem. Eventual godlike and overpowered Ichigo. May contain lemons - bite at your own risk.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Ichigo stood over the barrens at the outskirts of Karakura town, breathing lightly. A fissure and bottomless crater cut into the rocky terrain, next to a topless mountain—cleanly sliced in two. A sacrifice—a scar the landscape would bare for years to come. Though to him, it meant little in comparison to the price he just paid to stop the madman Sosuke Aizen. At the cost of his Soul Reaper powers, he just won the war.

Dust settled around Aizen's remains, revealing his bisected form.

Ichigo's breathing hitched. White skin on Aizen's back stitched together in a web of goo; regenerating his body as if Ichigo's final attack was useless. Was the Final Getsuga Tenshou not enough? It couldn't be possible. Holding a breath, he flash stepped down into the valley with the remnants of his power. Even that much was difficult.

The madman's form had reverted close to his normal state. No longer like a butterfly monster, but still not quite human or Soul Reaper. Only white skin and fragments of a Hollow-like mask were left of his transformation. "You have lost, Ichigo Kurosaki!" he said, rising to a kneel.

Ichigo could only stare, unable to retort, unable reason how he had regenerated. The Final Getsuga Tenshou was an attack dimensions higher than Aizen's comprehension.

But yet he took it head on and lived—an impossibility.

Ichigo's remaining powers over darkness shattered off his body as he slumped. He palmed the dusty ground for support, breathless from the shock of sudden drop in spirit energy—dropping to the level of a lieutenant, barely.

Part of him wanted to chuckle, because at this moment, even Renji would be more useful.

He couldn't do a thing now, and no one else could either.

"Behold, my Zanpukto is vanishing," Aizen said, holding up his crumbling Zanpukto. "Surely you, of all people understand what this means."

Ichigo glared in response—nothing he could do now.

But he understood perfectly well; everyone would die if Aizen wasn't stopped. Everyone would die because Ichigo failed, despite giving it his all. It was his fault in the end, despite giving it his best.

Was his best still not good enough? Apparently so.

Aizen grinned maniacally, as if able to read Ichigo's growing despair.

Yuzu, Karin, Chad, Orihime, Uryu. Goat chin. Soul Society.

And Rukia… The sapphire-eyed midget whom he owed everything to.

Aizen's expression turned into ecstatic triumph. "The Hogyoku has decided that I have no need for a Zanpukto! You became one with your Zanpukoto and its powers, and now I am the same. No… Now that you have lost that power I will ascend to heights far above you."

Ichigo tried to get up, but just couldn't—half because of his own weakness, and the rest from Aizen's captain level spiritual pressure, pinning him down like the weight of his flooded inner world. "Aizen," he mumbled, pushing harder.

His despair boiled into hatred, burning through his core. He gathered his fading spirit energy to summon Zangetsu. He growled, clawing into the dirt, not letting this be the end.

His spirit energy only further slipped, leaving him with only glimmers of his previous power.

"This is the end! Ichigo Kurosaki!" Aizen roared. He moved to finish Ichigo off, but was abruptly halted by a crimson nail of spirit energy erupting from his chest.

To Ichigo's surprise, this wasn't part of another transformation. For several seconds, he only remained still, speechless at the development.

"What is this?! Kido?!" Several more crimson nails erupted on his torso. "Arrrrhhhh."

This was Ichigo's chance. He gritted his teeth, pushing against the ground every last strand of spirit energy left in his soul, clawing the dirt till his nails throbbed in pain. But It wasn't enough to even stand—not nearly enough.

He only watched as Aizen convulsed under the growing daggers. The red energy resembled a Kido, or Zanpukto ability. It wasn't Ichigo's own technique, he was sure of that, unless Zangetsu had something planned the whole time. That was unlikely, because he didn't even know any damn Kido. Only a few people he knew who could do such a thing, and they were all laying unconscious—defeated.

"When did something like this—" Aizen began, but was cut off by a newcomer at the corner of Ichigo's eye.

Blond hair, green cloak, and clogs. Urahara!

"It appears to have finally activated," he said, emotionless, and without hiding behind his hat or fan either.

Aizen spun his head to the shopkeeper, still convulsing under the effects of the Kido. "Kisuke Urahara! This is your doing?!" he said, scowling enough to reveal the gums of his teeth.

Urahara walked up to him, appearing to measure each step with precision. "Yes, before you achieved complete transfiguration. In your most unguarded moment I fired that kido into your body on the back of another Kido," he said, pausing as the Kido daggers grew.

A heavy weight lifted off Ichigo's shoulders. Aizen was finished. After all, his sacrifice was worth it. He let out a long breath, relaxing into the dirt, able to sit up straight again. Even the spiritual pressure started lifting now.

Urahara continued with his explanation, voice stoic. "It's a seal. I thought that if you fused with the hogyoku, you would most likely become all but impossible to kill. So I developed a kido for the purpose of sealing you away."

Of course he did. He was Urahara; the shopkeeper with a multitude of plans and back-up plans.

"What…" Aizen said, glaring, wrinkling his nose. "That's impossible."

Urahara considered him with an unchanging expression as the seal grew, not showing a glimmer of worry or hesitation.

The white shell of Aizen's form shattered. He raised his hand, examining himself with widening eyes. "Wha— What is this…?"

Ichigo looked at him blankly, struggling to understand how he hadn't realised sooner, or at least notice his own reduced level spirit energy. Something must have been up, as usual—something to do with what he had felt in the madman's blade when he caught it during their battle. Pain, loneliness, and despair, much like his own.

After a moment, Urahara continued with his explanation. "This is the will of the Hogyoku," he said, gesturing to the swirling purple orb in Aizen's chest. "The reason the seal I fired into you before has finally activated is because your power has weakened."

Weakened, from Mugetsu. That much was obvious, although…

Ichigo furrowed his brow, not sure what to make of that revelation. Something told him that wasn't the case, that Aizen wanted to lose his power, as if it was part of his plan. Neither was it the true will of the Hogyoku, which currently pulled at him through a thread in the air. A link—a fibre in the fabric of existence.

"H-how?" Aizen stuttered.

Ichigo glared at his words, his demeanour. Something was off.

"The Hogyoku is saying… that it does not recognise you as it's mast-"

A multi-layered, titanic spiritual pressure burst forth from the Hogyoku, crushing down onto the valley in a vortex of purple and white energy. A swirl of energy surrounded Ichigo, resonating with his complete being, calling out to him, reaching into his core, and bringing out the depths of his soul.

Urahara appeared next to him, and began chanting with a gesture of his hands.

But whatever he was about to do was too late—the energy intensified several fold as Ichigo cried out in pain, and reached towards his glowing chest. The skin wasn't hot, but the depths of spirit energy was endless, as if he were reaching into an infinite void.

The pressure kept rising, flattening him against the ground. Every bone in his body shook, and every muscle ached, yet filled with energy unlike anything comparable. He never felt such levels of spirit energy before, even when he used the Final Getsuga Tenshou. This was something different, something on a dimension of it's own.

The pain approached his limit. "AAAARRRHHHHH!"

Then purple-while light blinded him, and a searing dagger pierced his heart.

Urahara's frantic voice called to him as he blacked out.

* * *

Rukia Kuchiki stood in the observation room, next to the multi-layered Kido barrier. A month already passed since Ichigo's spiritual pressure vanished, since his spirit energy darkened to a pitch black— and he still hadn't even shown any signs of waking up, or signs of life apart from a steady heartbeat and gentle rise of his chest every breath.

She looked down at his form, through the Sekkiseki reinforced glass. His face was serene and calm, as if he were having a pleasant dream.

His eyes were half covered by his longer hair, less messy, but still gave him that unique wild look, much like Kaien.

It made him look even more handso—she stopped the thought as her cheeks warmed in a blush. Where the hell did that thought come from? Ichigo wasn't like that.

Cracks formed on the inner Kido barriers as several tendrils of spirit energy bounced around the room.

The new form of his spirit energy still unnerved her. It was spirit energy unlike anything recorded in history—pitch black with tiny flecks of indigo, red, and blue. And inky in texture.

She held out her hand, chanting the barrier Kido taught to her by the head captain.

After a minute, the barrier stabilised, and she sat down, letting out a breath. The drain on her spirit energy was quite substantial, but it was for Ichigo, and she owed him much more than bit a of spirit energy.

Everyone did.

She volunteered to watch over the barrier, giving her brother an explanation to why she stayed by his side during every second of her free time. Thankfully, her Kido abilities were high enough to maintain the barrier. The task didn't require the abilities of a captain, and the head captain assured her the Kido he used would only require mid-level spells to maintain.

Eventually, it wouldn't hold of course; his spirit energy kept rising to unimaginable levels—levels she'd never comprehend.

How high would spirit energy ascend to? Whatever the Hogyoku did, and is still doing, would change him forever. She just hoped when he wakes, he wouldn't need to be sealed for good—she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. The guilt sank into her heart like an icy needle. Her own mistakes dragged Ichigo into the world of the afterlife, after all.

A velvet voice interrupted her thoughts. "How's he doing?"

Rukia jumped at the surprise, turning to face Yoruichi Shihoin—ex-captain of squad two a hundred years ago, as she found out months earlier, when everything was explained after the war. She wasn't like captain Soifon in way.

"His condition still hasn't changed. I had to reinforce the kido barrier just before you arrived," Rukia said.

Yoruichi gave her an amused look. "how many times do I have to say it? Don't be so formal around me," she said, laughing for a second.

Rukia didn't respond for several moments. Without her Kuchiki mask, her worry might bubble to the surface—that would be bad. Everyone would see her real emotions she hid under the Kuchiki mask, but that wasn't much of a secret anymore. Everyone knew her history with Ichigo and Kaien… well people who mattered knew.

"I'm sure Ichigo will be fine when he wakes up," Yoruichi said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Her warmth seeped into Rukia. "Remember, Kisuke said that the Hogyoku grants the greatest and innermost desires of those who interact with its powers. I bet our little Ichigo simply wished for the power to protect us all from anything. He'll be fine."

Rukia scowled, because everything was that stupid orb's fault. Every last thing, starting from when she lost all her powers to when Ichigo used some final, sacrificial technique that nearly cost him his powers.

Her selfish side kicked in at that—the idiot won't be getting rid of her any time soon… assuming he doesn't get sealed forever. However, what Yoruichi said made sense, somewhat. Her strawberry was always like that.

She blinked. Her strawberry? When did she start thinking that?

Yoruichi gave her a quizzical look, raising an eyebrow. Rukia just waved her away, and got a chuckle in response.

Perhaps she'd take her brother's advice… Staring at Ichigo every day after her duties were completed was unbecoming for a Kuchiki. "I wonder how he will react to the change…" she said absentmindedly, but deadpanned as something else occurred to her. "Though having another idiot around will be stressful… especially a war hero idiot."

"Oh I'm sure we'll be getting to know our little Ichigo very well. You should be one to know, since you slept in his closet for three months," Yoruichi said with a suspicious smirk.

"Nothing happened," Rukia said, though a small blush coated her cheeks. A blush of betrayal, revealing way too much of her inner thoughts. They'd shame her for decades if they found out what she sometimes thought of Ichigo these days, and Kaien all those years ago.

Kaien who's now dead thanks to her, and now his cousin might have to live an even worse fate, thanks to her—partly.

Yoruichi nudged her, looking at her reddened cheeks. "Really? He's a teenage guy you know? You should be careful around him when he's in bed at night," she quipped.

Rukia's imagination picked up with her insinuations, and her face heated in a rage of fire.

"I-I dont know what you're talking about," Rukia spat out. Ichigo wasn't like that—she reminded herself. "Ichigo's not like that," she said aloud.

"Oh I'm sure you do know, and..." Yoruichi said, trailing off teasingly, and leaned in towards her ear. "He couldn't stop staring that one time."

Rukia blushed, thinking through all the possibilities she could have meant. Perhaps a beach party with bikinis, or a tight stealth uniform, or even Rangiku just being herself. Endless possibilities. "Hmph," she grunted, crossing her arms.

Their shallow breathing whispered through the room, prolonging the awkward silence. But Yoruichi still smirked at her, not finding this awkward one bit.

Spirit energy flickered at the corner of her eye.

"Look," Yoruichi pointed out, before Rukia could say anything.

Yoruichi was dead serious—unusual for her. Rukia blinked, and tilted her head back to the barrier. Ichigo's sleeping expression was now that of a scowl. Maybe a nightmare?

"Whatever's happening has reached the next stage… Looks like Kisuke was right," Yoruichi said.

A drop of cold sweat ran down Rukia's neck. In Ichigo's current state, his spirit energy would kill anyone weak who gets too close to him. Not even their strongest limiters would be able to suppress him at that level, according to the head captain at least.

Rukia swallowed—he might needed to be permanently sealed after all.

"Does Urahara have anything planned?" Rukia asked, eyes watering and shoulders slumping half an inch.

She didn't answer, but a tiny scowl spread across her mocha skin.

Before Rukia questioned further, Yoruichi nudged her, nodding towards Ichigo.

Pitch-black spiritual pressure lined with traces of his other colors filled the Kido barrier, and hundreds of cracks to spread across the surface.

Her heart raced as Ichigo's form started changing, transforming into a black mass. His hair grew to long, black locks while black spirit energy engulfed his body, morphing into something like— bandages.

Yoruichi spun around and pulled Rukia into her embrace, lifting her off the ground, and moving in one of the fastest flash steps Rukia ever experienced. For a second, the fourth division blurred into a smudge of many colors.

They landed a few hundred meters away from the Kido barriers, and Captain Unohana wasn't already nearby, oddly, and neither was Urahara.

Her attention darted back to the matter at hand. Ichigo was in trouble, or whatever was happening. "Yoruichi! We have to do somethi—"

"Stay back! I'll go get the captains!" she interrupted her, and flash stepped away.

"Wa-Wait the barrier's going—" She called out to her fleeing form as the barrier exploded in a shower of spirit energy.

* * *

Ichigo moaned as he regained consciousness. For a moment, blinding light and pain filled his mind, torching his body in a stinging blaze. A picture of a dusty valley appeared in his thoughts. Hat n' Clogs was there too… He yelled something before the memory cut off. So was that bastard Aizen.

Aizen. He had to be stopped, at any cost, or he'd kill everyone in Karakura—

Then it all came back. He used the Final Getsuga Tenshou, and Urahara had some kind of back up Kido that activated in the end.

He coughed a couple of times, and tested his limbs, making sure everything worked like usual.

Did Urahara win? Was Aizen sealed?

He groaned, and rubbed his head—he was alive at least.

And he must be laying the world of the living since since he was— alive without his soul reaper powers.

Either that, or dead, laying somewhere in the Rukongai.

He opened his eyes all the way, and a clear blue sky flooded his vision.

No clouds, or sun, or even a bird.

He sat up, looking around as his blurred vision return to normal. A large green field surrounded him, near a sparkling lake and tall trees—at least a hundred meters tall, the tallest ones at least a few hundred. Within the trees, many skyscrapers were intertwined within the greenery. The buildings were familiar, as if they were sky scrapers from his inner worl—

Where was he? It didn't look like Karakura town, or the Rukongai of old Japan, and the water was way too clean for anything in the living world.

And why would they dump him him by a lake?

He mumbled, and made a mental note to flog whoever did that. They should have at least left a note, or money to catch a bus or something.

Urahara. This was some crap joke of his.

A silvery voice interrupted his thoughts. "It looks like you've finally woken up, Ichigo, how was the nap?"

"Alright! Why the hell…" He twisted his head around, but couldn't find anyone. He scowled in confusion, and stood up, sauntering towards where the voice came from. And to his surprise, the lake was huge—perhaps a sea or ocean instead. The other side wasn't even visible.

Gentle waves lapped at a beach in the distance, and a cool breeze blew against his longer hair and hot skin. The wind wasn't salty, or sea scented.

He continued walking, to a pebble lined inlet, filled with calm, clear water. A light laugh rose to him.

"Down here dummy, I should have known you wouldn't be able to notice… anything that isn't freakishly tall as you are" The voice said, tone full of implication.

"W-what? Im not freakishly tall you- " Ichigo said as he looked down.

A girl floated by the edge of the lake—the most beautiful girl ever. His mouth dropped to a gape and eyes widened as her features hit him. She had fair skin, full lips and large, blue eyes. Her long, waist-length blue hair fanned around her back and sides, accentuating her slim body, which was barely clothed in a see-through dress.

His face heated up, reddening in an instant as he examined every last detail and curve.

Why was he even looking?

Probably because taking his eyes off the beautiful girl was impossible. "Dammit, put some clothes—"

"Oh, you think I'm beautiful, do you?" she snapped, floating along the line of pebbles.

He stepped back, blush fading by a few shades of red. "You can rea—"

"Judging from the look on your face of course."

His cheeks heated back up to a crisp burn, because, somehow she caught him staring without even looking at him.

"I wasn't—"

"How about a closer look?" she said in a sly tone.

He was about to deny any desire for that, but she smirked and disappeared, in a blur similar to a flash step. She even gave off the characteristic buzz of the technique.

He frowned, puzzled by the development. Was she a soul reaper?

She could be, but it's impossible to see a Soul Reaper without any spirit energy, unless he still had some tiny sliver of his previous power. He focused on his inner self. 'Zangetsu…? Are you still there…?'

No response, though the old man wasn't the talkative type, even when he fused with his inner Hollow.

He closed his eyes, and concentrated on his core, bringing out any reserve of spirit energy.

Nothing, not even a glimmer of power.

He sighed, and looked around for the girl.

She abruptly appeared in front of him, and hugged him. Her large, full breasts pressed against his chest—his semi-bare chest, revealed in an open Kimono. He felt everything and every last detail of her chest and hard nipples, poking through the open weave of her dress.

He noticed what he was doing, and enjoying.

But he wasn't that type of man. He pushed he away and stepped back. "Gah! Why are you hugging me? And put some clothes on dammit!"

"You have quite the body, and I like hugging you, especially when you're awake," she said, putting her hands behind her back and stepping closer to him.

"Wait what? What did you do to me while I was asleep?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Her tone was innocent.

"What. Did. You. Do."

"Hmm?" she hummed, blinking and looking around the area. "And what are you talking about with the clothes? I am wearing something silly" she said, crossing her arms under her breasts, pushing them up an inch.

He narrowed his eyes, and hardened his jaw, but his burning blush just wouldn't go away, neither would the blood drain from his waist. If she noticed that, he'd be in real trouble.

"Who the hell wears clothes like that?!" he demanded, letting her comment about his sleep drop, trying his best to keep his eyes off her slender body. The lace wasn't helping either.

Twenty seconds of silenced passed as he stared her down.

"You really want to know?"

He hardened his jaw even more, glaring into her swirling blue eyes.

"Alright, but you might not like what you hear," she began, putting a had on her hip, highlighting her privates. "This is what you people in the world of the living call lingerie. I believe you saw it in a magazine once…" She trailed off, pushing out her chest even more.

Ichigo nearly tripped on the spot; there was no way she could have known about that—his darkest secret.

"And secondly for who am I, I am your cute, lovable and adorable Hogyoku, well, kind of," She said with a straight face.

He lost balance this time, needing to step back to regain his composure. She couldn't be serious, and how did she know about that damn orb?

"I am the Hogyoku," she said, absolutely serious.

He froze. What the hell does she mean by that? She could be insane, or playing one of Urahara's tricks. He looked around, but no annoying shopkeeper could be found within the trees, and the girl started giggling, making her breasts jiggle.

The sight captivated his eyes, like a hypnotic, bouncing pair of heavenly cushions.

"You know, staring at my body like that isn't going to get you any explanations, but it might get me to conjure up a bed for us to sleep in together."

Images of them together in bed and under the sheets filled his mind, firing up his entire body.

"Wow I'm surprised Ichigo. Already thinking of going all the way?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

So she could read mind.

"I could make that happen right now if you really, really want to." She added and took a few steps towards him.

They were less than an inch apart again. A part of him wanted to tackle to to the ground, and do— he backed away before that a crazy thought could take hold.

The girl could be dangerous—not a single person he ever met could read minds.

He growled and covered his eyes. "Ok I want some answers now dammit! Where am I? How are you the Hogyoku? And what do you mean kind of? And is Aizen sealed?" Ichigo demanded, voice rising after each word.

"hmph… Guess you're a prude after all. I'll just have to change that… "She said.

Ichigo growled again, keeping his eyes covered.

"Alright, fine, We are in your inner world."

"What?! I lost my soul reaper powers to take down that bastard Aizen! Don't lie to me!"

"It's the truth…" She said in a light voice "As for your soul reaper powers, all I can say is that… I'm your cute, lovable and ad-"

"OK I heard dammit," he cut her off, somewhat accepting her answer that she was the adorable Hogyoku. Those two words weren't meant for the same sentence, but her tone and body language suggested she either believed that, or told the truth.

"So no more questions?"

"That wasn't the start of the questions!" he shouted, gesturing with a flail of his arms. "This looks nothing like my inner world! What's with the trees and lake?!"

"Hmmmmmm," she mumbled, pausing for a few seconds. "Well Tensa Zangetsu said he always wanted you to plant some trees here…"

Ichigo uncovered his eyes and spun around.

Only the same greenery and skyscrapers—just like those of his inner world. She could be telling the truth after all.

"And as for the lake, you should know that trees need water dummy," She added with a light laugh.

Ichigo twisted back to face her, scowling, glaring as his temper rose in a boil. "Where's Zangetsu?! What did you do to him?!"

"Don't scowl so hard, or it will be engraved onto your handsome face permanently," she said, crossing her arms under her breasts, making them jiggle again.

"GARRH-" Ichigo roared, but a familiar voice cut through the field—a voice belonging to someone he fought against for three months.

"We don't have much time," Tensa Zangetsu said in his sharp voice.

Ichigo turned around, slowly, forcing himself not to faint or suffer whiplash.

Tensa Zangetsu stood in the middle of the grassland, as if nothing changed since his battle with Aizen—still in his half Hollowfied, transcended state.

For half a minute, Ichigo just stared, and nearly walked over to poke him just to make sure it wasn't a trick or illusion.

Eventually, he swallowed as the half-Hollow's features sank in. A fragment of the full Hollow mask and single horn remained, partially covering flowing white hair, framing his porcelain face and single black-sclera eye.

It couldn't be anyone else.

Tensa Zangetsu's face twitched a fraction, impatient, half-crazed, just like before.

"What do you mean? What happened? Tensa Zangetsu, what happened to Aizen and the Hogyoku?"

"The Hogyoku is part of your soul now. You must accept that if you wish to keep your powers," he said, features wrinkling in impatience.

Opening his mouth, Ichigo couldn't find anything to say to that. The claim was so preposterous, so maniacal that he'd laugh if Tensa Zangetsu hadn't said it.

"All will be explained but right now you need to do as I say!" His voice was much harsher than anything before.

Why is he in such a rush? He ignored Ichigo's questions like usual though.

The so-called Hogyoku girl appeared next to Tensa Zangetsu. "If you wish to keep your powers, you must take my blade and run it through the center of your being. You must accept Tensa Zangetsu and I to be one and the same," she explained with a hard voice and blank face—as if a completely different person stood in front of Ichigo.

The minutes passed as her words cemented, because what she said was an impossibility, a dream he gave up after Zangetsu revealed the true nature of the Final Getsuga Tenshou. The cost of the technique was a sacrifice he already decided to make, and live with, but apparently a loophole existed. A failsafe, in the shape of that damn purple marble, or the stunning girl standing in front of him.

Ichigo smirked, keeping his gaze eye-level. This was exactly like how it all started with Rukia—the cute midget he'd still be able to see, and trade jabs with again. She wasn't getting rid of him any time soon.

"Then give me your blade, Hogyoku."

She smiled, eyes warm. "My name is Tensa Zangetsu," She said, and materialised her blade, holding it out to him.

She held a pure-white Wakizashi close to the length of a Katana, slightly curved, and hollowed out in the center towards the guard—a Manji. A purple and white pattern criss-crossed on the grip in silky bandages.

"Then from this moment, we will fight as one, Tensa Zangetsu." He took the blade and lifted it to his chest, and without hesitation, he ran the steel through his heart.

An explosion of unfathomable power tore through his inner world.

 **A/N In this alternate universe Zanpakuto are called "Zanpukto" hehehe…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ichigo floated in the air, held up by his own spiritual power; pitch-black darkness enveloped his form, and rippled in waves.

Rukia could only watch, and keep her distance otherwise she'd be disintegrated like the earth beneath him. The relaxing fields of the fourth division now contained a shallow, wide crater; however, a good hundred meters of untouched grass still remained. Perhaps she didn't need to stand so far.

She flash stepped closer to get a better view, but really, she just wanted to be near him.

At the closer distance, his transformation was clear. His right arm and the bottom half of his face were covered in thick, grey bandages. A Hakama skirted over his legs, made of the same flowing darkness as his spirit energy. His eyes were still closed, tightly shut in his typical scowl.

Chills ran across her skin, fluttering through goosebumps. "Ichigo," she whispered.

A white haori appeared several meters in front of her. "Head captain Yamamoto," she greeted in her Kuchiki voice.

"Lieutenant Kuchiki," he acknowledged, without even turning around to look at her. "You would be wise to stand back. The power here is at a level you can't even comprehend."

Could he sense Ichigo's power? She risked asking him. "Head captain, can you sense—"

"Only some of it."

Only some of it? How did he know what he felt was the entirety of Ichigo's power? It must have been some technique he learned in the thousands of years he lived, so Rukia went along with it, and shrugged.

He spoke again, as if answering her unspoken questions. "The spirit energy is similar, almost…" he trailed off, mumbling, barely audible, but the word monk was clear.

There were no monks in the Seireitei, but that wasn't important right now. "Will he need to be sealed?" she asked in a near whisper. "Like Aizen?" she added, voice breaking, shattering her Kuchiki mask.

He didn't respond.

She hanged her head, and clenched her fists. Ichigo was a danger to soul society now, even to the captains of the thirteen court guard squads. The head captain would be forced to seal Ichigo if he couldn't control his power—that's what he'd be thinking.

Captains Unohana and Ukitake—Rukia's captain—appeared near the Head Captain, exchanging their usual greetings and nods.

"I came as fast as I could. This stuff is heavy," Rukia's captain said, smiling. He held a black, cloth-like material, folded into a neat pile—like the seals they used on Aizen.

The head captain grunted in acknowledgement.

Rukia frowned as she examined Captain Unohana, who hadn't carried a thing. The black binding cloth and Kido might not even be enough to hold Ichigo's spirit energy, yet the elder captains appeared rather calm and confident.

Her captain noticed her, blinking, as if surprised to see her here already. "Ah Rukia… This is just for in case things get out of hand and if Ichigo needs to be restrained for his own good…" he trailed off and glanced back at Ichigo.

Rukia sighed, though made sure her breath wasn't loud enough to be heard. "I understand, Captain, if Ichigo must be sealed, for the safety of Soul Society, then it must be done," she said as formally as her roiling heart would allow.

"Well, you see—" Captain Ukitake began, but stopped when his eyes flickered to the Head Captain for half a second. He smiled, nervously, and turned to watch Ichigo. His long, white hair fluttered in the wind of Ichigo's transformation.

They were keeping information hidden—from her, but she let their silent exchange drop when more spiritual pressure signatures approached. Her brother, captain Kuchiki, along with Renji landed a few meters away. Her brother closed his eyes, keeping his noble mask stern.

He spoke, lips barely moving. "Rukia, do not waste yourself on worry. I do believe the elder captains have something planned, though they have not informed us on what it may be."

That calmed her twisted heart and stomach somewhat. She breath once, and just once, for Ichigo and the hope of him waking up with his freedom intact. But why wouldn't the older captains mention anything?

"Yes brother, Thank you for the kind words," Rukia said, acknowledging his kind words before too much time passed.

He nodded, and also took a breath.

A flicker of his gray eyes gave away something hidden under his ever stoic face, but only lasted for a second.

Renji mumbled under his breath, and scratched his head. "I'm sure the idiot will be fine, the old captains are the smartest people I know, and I heard that Urahara's also working on something," he offered, stepping forward into polite conversational distance. Even he had some training on how to act decently around nobles.

But not acting good enough, as a waver of his voice tainted every word, only adding to Rukia's own worry. She waved him off, rolling her eyes. "Just say what you really think, Renji."

He grumbled, and turned to watch Ichigo like everyone else.

Everyone else wasn't far behind. They arrived with varying features ranging from guarded mouths to a bloodthirsty grin in Captain Zaraki's case. He must be anticipating a chance to fight Ichigo, like the barbarian he was—that's what her brother would say. A false smirk crept on Rukia's face.

Yachiru jumped down from his back, cheerful as usual. "Wow what's happening to Ichi over there Kenny? He looks so strong! But I still can't feel anything from him though."

"Ha, I'm sure I'll get a chance, to see what he's made of, and whether he has orange hair or black makes no difference to me," Zaraki said, gesturing to Ichigo with a fist. "I'm itchin' for a fight."

A fight with a transcended being, possibly more powerful than the Head Captain. That fool would get himself killed one day, and not in a glorious, bloody battle either. It would be a one-sided slaughter. Rukia would have chuckled but the strain of the situation kept her sombre.

The other captains and lieutenants exchanged greetings, and some smalltalk, for formalities and politeness of course—a face they all had to put on, as being a part the elite Soul Reapers. An elite… which she's now a part of. They'd promoted her to lieutenant the moment her deeds in the winter war were revealed to the upper echelons of nobles. Formal galas were held for the triumph over the traitor, for her victory over an Espada… for the the hero of the Winter War who now was on the verge of losing his freedom. She sighed, teeth gritting as more guilt griped her throat.

The last of the lieutenants arrived. The weaker ones. Everyone showed their respect and concern for the situation, except Omaeda, who snacked on potato chips. Captain Soifon sent him a glare, and blasted the packet with a shot of Kido. He slumped, and whimpered as his chips disintegrated into a charred ashes.

Several of the lieutenants laughed and teased him, but Rukia held back, or her brother might have something to say about it. And neither was she in the mood to.

Captain Kyoraku appeared next to Rukia's captain along with his lieutenant. His pink Kimono billowed in the gusts of wind. He exchanged greetings with the elder captains, and also nodded—a hidden signal. Her brother was right. They did have something else planned.

"Well looks like we weren't late after all," Captain Kyoraku said, grinning under his straw hat. "He hasn't exploded or anything."

Rukia narrowed her eyes, and nearly walked up to him to kick in his side for that comment, but Nanao took care of it for her.

"We're lucky because your laziness causes us to be late more than half the time," she said, smacking his head with her book.

"That means we're either early or on time almost half of the time," he replied with a goofy smile.

That earned him a third book smack. "My lieutenant is so cruel…" He moaned, crying fake tears.

"Ah Shunsui, Have you heard from Kisuke yet?" Rukia's captain asked.

Captain Kyoraku tilted his head, covering his eyes with his hat, silent for several seconds. It seemed like people who wore hats only did because the covering let them be dramatic and dryly mysterious. Rukia pictured herself with a hat, sitting on her head of short hair like an ornament. Perhaps a Chappy hat.

His reply was barely audible, and the chatter of the lieutenants wasn't helping either. Matsumoto was especially loud. "Well from the last I heard from him…" He put a hand on his neck, massaging his large tendons.

Rukia straighted, as if it would focus her hearing.

Kyoraku sighed and looked up from the shade of his hat. "He said he should be back right on time."

So they did have something planned, something of an attempt to save Ichigo.

And Urahara played a crucial part.

Before Rukia's captain could respond, his attention caught onto something to his left.

Rangiku and Nanao pulled out cameras, and took many photos of Ichigo, flashing several times in bursts of white light. The pitch darkness of Ichigo's spirit energy refused the illumination, devouring it, consuming ever last ray of light as if feeding on it.

And this was a completely inappropriate time for something like that. Rukia was desperate for information on the secret plan. "What are you doing?!"

"These are for the Magazine, and SWA," Nanao said, taking more photos. "We're running low on funds… you want that beach trip to happen don't you?"

"What the hell?!" She balled a fist. Her spiritual pressure billowed. "This isn't the time—"

"Oh come on," Nanao said. She offered a faint smile. "Do you really think central 46 and the nobles will let the hero of the winter war rot in seals? The captains will figure something out."

Her logic registered with a part of Rukia's mind that was still calm. She nodded, grudgingly agreeing before shifting her gaze back to Ichigo. He was still swirling in that pitch spirit energy that didn't emit any pressure.

Strands of fluttering ginger-blonde hair danced at the edge of her vision.

"Don't you just want to get your hands all over those nice abs, eh rukia?" Rangiku asked, tone filled with suggestion.

The sudden tease caught her off guard, breaking her Kuchiki resolve and the vice grip of guilt in her throat. Warmth rushed into her cheeks as stuttered out a reply. "Wha- what do you mean? Ichigo is a frie-"

"Oh we all know, Rukia, you're quite obsessed over him," Yoruichi interrupted.

"I'm not obsessed!"

"What was that? Something about three months in a—"

"SHUT IT!"

She blocked out all the idiots, turning her attention back to Ichigo and ignoring the varying comments. That only sent more snickers and crude remarks at her. Even her brother had a visible smirk.

Growling under her breath, she focused on her center and calmed her spirit energy as the minutes passed with irritating chatter.

Everyone was silenced from their chatter when the pitch-black spirit energy started to pour out off Ichigo, in massive waves and pulsating tendrils.

"Get back!" the head captain yelled.

Much of the ground cracked and disintegrated, and everyone flash stepped back a hundred meters just in time.

Then a pillar of his dark power erupted, blocking out a large portion of the sky and cutting right through the barrier formed by the Sekkiseki walls.

His eyes were still closed with that same scowl.

The elder captains shared a look, and Rukia's captain began chanting, readying the seal he carried.

Rukia only looked forward, accepting Ichigo's fate. He would be sealed after all. Urahara was nowhere to be seen, and the cloth captain Ukitake carried was definitely a seal, if the familiar glow it gave off said anything. Her hope of Ichigo only having to be confined to Soul Society was just that—a hope.

"I'm sure whatever the captains and Kisuke Urahara has planned will help Ichigo, even if he has to be sealed, I doubt it will be fore long," Isane offered, which did indeed help, as the seal wasn't permanent, or even damaging to the soul.

"He's been gone for three weeks now, and according to what my captain said even he didn't fully understand the Hogyoku, Ichigo might be sealed for a quite a while until he comes up with something," Nanao said, pushing up her glasses.

Isane shot her a glare, but it made sense to Rukia. Nanao was just trying to squash any false hopes.

Nemu also offered thoughts, in a monotone voice. "According to ex-captain Urahara's report, nothing he tried on Aizen worked on him while he was still in control of the Hogyoku." Her face didn't hold any expression.

Rukia shuddered, ice gnawing at her bones. Nemu and Captain Kurotsuchi always freaked Rukia out.

"Why are you here anyway?" Renji said. "I thought you and your captain couldn't care less about Ichigo."

"I am here because my captain is here. My captain is here because he is interes-"

A distinctive, cheerful voice interrupted her. "You lovely lieutenants wouldn't be talking about a certain handsome shopkeeper would you?" Urahara asked from behind his fan, probably grinning his goofy grin.

Rukia took a step towards him, to kick his shin.

Yoruichi flash stepped behind him before Rukia did anything, and slapped the back of his head. "Where the hell were you?! You better have come up with something to get the Hogyoku out!"

It looked like those were the words everyone wanted to say, even the elder captains.

Urahara closed his fan. "To separate the Hogyoku from Ichigo, I have come up with…" he paused, much to Rukia's irritation.

"…Absolutely nothing!" Urahara announced with a huge grin.

Many of the lieutenants and captains looked like they wanted to punch Urahara, while others just looked at him with deadpan expressions. The elder captains didn't appear pleased, but after a sharing a look with Urahara for two seconds, they turned back to Ichigo.

Rukia wanted to feel irritated at him, but just stood there with her shoulders slumped, letting everyone's exclamations at Urahara wash over her. Her brother even had things to say. Even captain Komamura, who rarely said a thing.

Ichigo's spirit energy flared again, darkening the sky into a deep shade of blue.

So this was it.

Maybe she could still talk to him while he was in his seal—right? That's if he wasn't completely furious at her and the soul society.

"However…" Urahara said, raising his voice, and pulling out a sheathed sword from him coat.

"What?! How is your Zanpukto going to help us?" Renji demanded.

"Idiot! That's an Asauchi, you dumbass," Rukia said, punching his arm. Though she didn't know how one was supposed to help.

Renji blinked. "I knew that."

The head captain glanced over his shoulder. "Kisuke Urahara, Has everything been prepared?"

"Yes, head captain, Should I assume the message got to you in time?"

He only received a nod in response.

The sky darkened to a starless night-sky, and the maelstrom of energy grew to a vortex as Ichigo remained oblivious.

Urahara adjusted his hat. "It's time, he will have to be restrained."

The head captain gave the signal with a wave, and then flashed into position along with his three elder captains.

Rukia's captain activated the black bandages and sent it flying at Ichigo. It wrapped around him, covering his entire body except his left eye and hair. His black energy condensed around him as the seal took effect.

The four of them chanted and shot binding spells.

"Bakudo 99, Part 1: Kin"

"Bakudo 79, Kuyo Shibari"

"Bakudo 75, Gochūtekkan"

"Bakudo 73, Tozansho"

A pyramid of blue light trapped Ichigo, held in a blur of multicolored Kido.

Captain Ukitake turned back to Urahara. "Kisuke, do it now. This won't hold for long!"

Rukia'a eyes widened. They couldn't seal Ichigo?

Urahara took out a sake cup from his coat.

What was he doing? Now was not the time to have a drink. Rukia was about to say something, but he pulled out a black orb as well, dropping it into the cup.

"What the hell are you—" Renji said. A look from her brother silenced him.

The orb melted into liquid darkness as it hit the wooden saucer.

Unsheathing the Asauchi, Urahara dipped the end of the tip into the Sake cup, and then let go of the upright blade. The darkness ran up the metal in inky lines, coating the entire Katana.

An unfamiliar Kido incantation echoed through the group of Soul reaper as Urahara muttered in a rush of syllables. Only a few words stood out to Rukia. "Black sun… Tomb… Fish… Graves… Kingdom… Eyes…"

When he finished with a final mutter, the Asauchi evaporated into inky spirit energy, and rushed towards the blue pyramid.

Rukia's eyes were unblinking as the ink shattered through the many Bakudo spells and merged with Ichigo's own spirit energy. For many moments, a bulging mass of energy and ink expanded in the center of the crater.

Several of the lieutenants flash stepped away, but not Rukia. Her brother nudged her arm; she shook her head.

The black swell grew to a hurricane of darkness, despite the seal captain Ukitake used already being in effect, despite it being to hold back the spirit energy of several captains. He said something to the head captain, who nodded once, then looked to captain Kyoraku, exchanging a few words.

Then the maelstrom grew several fold.

Rukia nearly dashed out in a flash step, but remain bolted to the vibrating ground. She'd see it to the end.

The captains erected many high-level barriers between them and Ichigo, which wouldn't even hold for more than a couple of seconds—just enough to dodge an explosion with a flash step.

She took a step back, and then another, just in case she'd to die to Ichigo's uncontrolled power.

The steps were pointless; the vortex exploded only a second later, consuming everything in sight.

For a minute, pitch-black energy blocked out everything in Rukia's vision. She stood inside a black void of emptiness, alone without anyone. Nothing could be felt. Nothing could even exist in this expanse. Every thought drained away in a wisp, leaving her core behind. It was like looking at herself in a mirror, yet she couldn't see anything.

A glimmer flickered in her phantom self, but before she could reach out and grasp it, the dark void imploded back into Ichigo, releasing a pulse of black pressure. The Kido barriers shattered and everyone flash stepped away.

A massive spiritual pressure engulfed the area, forcing Rukia to her knees.

The pressure decreased and levelled out, allowing her to stand. It was difficult to move and she remained sweating, but it was Ichigo's familiar spiritual pressure—his comforting, protective spiritual pressure.

He fell to the ground with the black bandages still wrapped around him, though bits of it were disintegrated. The remnants of Ichigo's spirit energy coalesced around him, forming his new Zanpukto.

Rukia let go of a huge breath, tears beading in her eyes. He would be just fine. The captains found a way to save him after all.

The weight of her worry melted, washing away. But what it left behind troubled her greatly. She liked him, not just as a friend.

Captain Kyoraku chuckled. "It looks like we aren't the only ones anymore Jushiro."

* * *

The rumbling spirit energy subsided in Ichigo's inner world as her blade dissolved into his chest. The lake settled back into gentle ripples and the trees stood still again. The wet grass sparkled as he looked around, but seeing it wasn't important—because he felt it. He felt spirit energy flowing through the world. He felt the spiritual pressure of his two spirits. He felt everything again, as if his powers returned.

He blinked. He is a Soul Reaper again.

Or whatever the girl—

She giggled, and embraced him in a crushing hug against her open-weave dress. "Tensa Zangetsu, if you want this to work," she said.

Right. She could read minds.

"Mhmm, we're going to be together from now on!" she said, strengthening her hug.

Suffocating against her squished breasts, he managed to choke up some words. "C-Cant bre-ath."

"Oh sorry," she said, releasing the vice-grip, but still keeping the embrace. "I'm just so happy you accepted me."

Accepted her, which could mean a number of things. Like being stuck with a glowing orb in his chest, or transformed into a Hollow monster.

He cringed. Please not a butterfly.

"Why do you hate butterflies?" she asked, poking his cheek. "Don't you think they're pretty?"

"Why the hell would I want to be pretty?" he said, stepping out of her hug. "And that thing Aizen turned into is not pretty!"

"Hmph," she huffed, stepping closer again. "From what I saw in your memories, he looked rather beautiful with those delicate white wings and long, pretty hair."

What the hell was she on? She wasn't normal, but granted, she was the Hogyoku, or whatever her relation to the orb was. Before he could ask, she hugged him again, weaving her legs in between his.

"We're going to have soooo much fun together… Ichigoo" she said, swaying him left and right. He felt everything, and his Hakama bulged as blood rushed into his waist. She pressed herself closer in response.

He pushed her off and backed away, flailing his arm. "What the hell is that supposed to mean! You're my Zanpukto now so—"

"So what? I'm here to help you with your deepest and repressed desires."

"What repressed desires?!" he said, waving his arm. "I have none!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

He hardened his glare, even though her soft body invited him back into a hug, and more. She'd be the death of him, especially if she wears clothes like that every time he visits his inner world.

She smirked and fingered the knots in the lace. "It's gotten real hot ever since we became one," she said, taking off her already too revealing dress.

It fell around her ankles in a pile, and she stepped forward again, pushing out her body without any shame. Every inch of her perfection was visible, every curve and every soft feature.

"GAH! What the hell! You were just floating in a lake dammit, how can you be hot?" he said, covering his eyes.

Zangetsu's sharp voice cut through the clearing. "I believe it's time for you to go now. You're in quite an— interesting position at the moment."

He was still young, and half-Hollow, but his female counterpart chirped up again before Ichigo could comment.

"Aw… I was just about to have some fun," she said, pouting.

"Keep your fun to yourself!" Ichigo yelled, pointing a finger at her. "And you two still haven't given me an explanation yet. What the hell happened?!"

In an instant, Ichigo was sucked out of his inner world.

Bits of dirt rubbed against his teeth. Not only that, he was bound in tight cloth and unable to move. He could only see out of his left eye. He thrashed back and forth on the ground.

* * *

A/N 25/02/2016 Significant edits.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Ichigo scowled under the tight bandages, thrashing and yelling harder, but only muffled noises left the bindings over his mouth. Nothing he tried could break the fabric. Nothing he tried even stretched it—not even when he flared spirit energy to his maximum, which was many times higher than what he could reach before.

The low voice of Zangetsu echoed in his head. 'Calm down, those seals are for everyone's good.'

This wasn't doing him any good. And who was everyone?

A feminine voice also called to him. 'Oh I didn't know you liked being tied up so much.'

He looked around in the nearby dirt, before realizing she was the other half of Zangetsu. Accepting that was difficult, for she was a young woman, and he was a half-Hollow. Complete opposites, yet they had the same name now.

'I should do this to you some time, Ichigooo,' She said, giggling in his head.

Ichigo struggled harder in response, refusing to take her bait, but his stomach clenched at her implication. Her tone was way too sexual. He wasn't like that, he wasn't that kind of man, he kept reminding himself.

But he had to rely on them right now since no one else was coming to help.

No one else was coming. And he was tied up. This could be bad—really bad. Worse than when Aizen was meters away from everyone in Karakura. This could all even be Aizen's doing.

'Hey you two!' Ichigo roared in his mind. 'Help me now, we could be in big trouble!'

'We're fine, and no can do, you left me sooo unsatisfied earlier. I guess this will just have to be your punishment.'

Ichigo's face heated up against the cold fabric. She couldn't possibly be part of his soul; however, her reassurance seemed genuine. He breathed through the bandages, and kept on wriggling.

'Looks like you're tied up good and tight—though I wouldn't mind, if I was in your situation.' She added.

He had to break free, or he'd lose his sanity to her teasing. He thrashed even harder, but the bandages wouldn't budge the slightest.

"DAMMIT!" he muffled into the fabric.

Many spiritual pressure signatures appeared next to him, several meters away.

"Looks like the seals are holding, at least when he's in that state. I wonder what will happen when he releases his Zanpukto," a voice mused.

There was a click and a flash of white light—a lot like a camera.

"Quick, we need as many pictures as possible," a familiar voice said.

Definitely a camera. And he never liked photos either.

"I agree, yhis would be very valuable, for the association and magazine."

Was that Kyoraku and Rangiku?

Ichigo raised his brows, bending his neck upwards to get a view, but the bindings were too stiff. He thrashed once and rolled over onto his side with all the strength he could summon.

A crowd of captains and lieutenants in a large but very shallow crater greeted him. The head captain stood in the front, along with Ukitake , Kyoraku and Unohana. Urahara twisted around them and waved his fan. Yoruichi boinked him on the head, and he fell to the ground on his behind.

Ichigo's head spun. His friends and allies tied him up in seals?

"He looked much more mysterious before, and sexy. Don't you agree Rukia?" Rangiku said from within the crowd.

"W-What? I don't-" Rukia stuttered from next to Yoruichi. Her appearance piqued Ichigo's interest for a second—she looked different, but was standing a bit far.

"I don't care if he has orange hair or girl's hair," Kenpachi said loudly as he stepped into view, and drew his sword.

Ichigo swallowed. The maniac could do it after all, if their fight in the Seiretei and battle in Huecuo Mundo said anything. 'I'm about to be diced up here you two,' he called out to his spirits.

A whistle of a tune was all he got in response.

"Out of the way you simpletons, I need to collect my samples," Mayuri Kurotsuchi said as he stepped forward, pulling out a syringe and small, circular saw.

Ichigo's heart hammered twice as the mad clown approached. The makeup and head ornament said it all—one hundred percent crazy and insane. He thrashed backwards, barely moving an inch.

"MMMMMMMMMMM" he muffled, looking to Rukia. She returned a deadpan look, and closed her eyes.

Thankfully Unohana stepped forward, waving off Kenpachi and Mayuri. "I think we better leave this to Lieutenant Kuchiki and Jushiro," she said, smiling her dark smile. "My patient must be very confused right now. It would be best if we didn't overwhelm him." Her voice dipped lower with each syllable, tainted with a dark aura.

A shiver ran through Ichigo's bones.

The head captain half opened his eyes and grunted in agreement. "You are dismissed until further notice."

Many of the captains and lieutenants bowed and left in flash steps. Renji gave Ichigo one last glance, and smirk, before leaving with Byakuya, who only gave Ichigo a glance that lasted for two seconds. It wasn't one of his usual stuck-up, snobby glares.

"What an embarrassment," Soifon said, leaving in a silent flash step after punching her lieutenant's arm.

"Pfft. I only wanted to get one sample… Was that too much to ask?" Mayuri complained. "Come Nemu."

"Ahh how lame," Kenpachi said. "We came all this way for a damn light show." He groaned, and beckoned at Yachiru. "Let's go."

"I'm sure you'll fight him soon Kenny. Ichi's spiritual pressure was much stronger," Yachiru chirped from his back.

"Yeah you're right…" He said with a grin and ran off.

Ichigo shoved thoughts of fighting Kenpachi and Mayuri while tied up out of his mind. He shuddered at what Mayuri might do to him.

"Oh your sisters are going to find his hilarious," Yoruichi said. "And so will your stuffed lion." She laughed.

Ichigo sighed. That was definitely Kon. He better not had done anything perverted with his sisters.

The head captain, Ukitake , Yoruichi, Rukia and Urahara stayed behind, and walked to within a few meters. Rukia had puffy eyes and wet cheeks. Was she crying? And her hair was different—less messy, and shorter. It looked good on her.

"Maybe we should have brought the chair as well after all," Kyoraku said, grinning under his hat.

"Let's not be hasty, remember, Ichigo is not Aizen."

"True, but he'd at least have some of his dignity."

"Very few deserve to be tied to a chair like that."

They both shrugged, then smiled, as if enjoying some inside joke. Though they said Aizen was also in seals similar to Ichigo's current bindings, and tied to some kind of torture chair. Cool relief washed over him.

But that still didn't explain why they bound him as well. He muffled and wriggled some more.

"Enough smalltalk," the old head captain interjected, banging his walking stick against the dirt. "There is much to discuss."

"Well that should be for the best, we all know how much Ichigo overreacts," Kyoraku said, chuckling.

Ichigo sent him a one-eyed glare.

He just chuckled some more.

'Don't you think it looks cute? Imagine what she would look like if she was wearing what I was,' his sword spirit whispered in his mind.

The black bandages covered his blush, hiding his shame from Rukia and the others. He looked back to the head captain, ignoring his perverted spirit.

"Ichigo Kurosak, we have much to discuss. You have been unconscious for quite a time," the head captain said.

Discuss with his mouth bound and pressed against a dirty bandage. Ichigo rolled his eye.

The head captain raised an eyebrow, and without removing the seals, he gestured towards Ukitake.

He stepped forward. "I must say Ichigo, you are the first in several hundred years to have a Zanpukto that comes in a pair," he said with a raised finger, smiling. "I was starting to think Shunsui and I would be forever alone."

To Ichigo's surprise, two swords sat next to his head—both adorned in black including the sheaths, except, a red-black pattern coated the grip of the Katana and indigo-black for the Wakizashi.

Then it hit him. Sealed blades? But Zangetsu was a constant release type. 'Zangetsu, are you still young? What about my inner hollow?'

'So, you finally noticed.'

'You mean I'm still in Bankai?'

Ukitake spoke up again, pulling him out of his mental conversation. "Rukia, I believe you may have supporting material to help with this explanation?" he asked with a large smile.

Supporting material—that could only mean…

Ichigo inwardly groaned.

"Yes captain, Of course," Rukia said, smirking. She pulled out a large, thin book from her Shihakshou.

Ichigo groaned against the bindings.

She walked closer, and sat down. Beads of sweat dipped down her face and neck, which was strange, if the cold air biting at his exposed skin said anything.

She opened the book to the first page. Nothing but crudely drawn rabbits covering the margins, and three large ones in the center of the page.

More muffled groans escaped the fabric over his mouth.

"Blink once for yes, and twice for no. Do you understand?"

He blinked twice, wriggled more, or anything just to be rid of those drawings.

"Idiot!" She yelled and leaned forward, with a fist drawn.

Urahara stopped her. "Those seals merely restrain his spiritual pressure to roughly half a meter around him," he said darkly, adjusting his hat. "In other words, the spiritual pressure around him is so dense it would most likely kill you. It's incredible that we can even feel anything."

She visibly swallowed, and jumped back an inch.

He'd have to work on his control, when they release him from these damn bandages. He focused into his center, trying to push back the rage of spirit energy. Rukia didn't seem to relax, or even notice his effort.

She continued with the story. "According to ex-captain Urahara's report-"

"That's me, your lovely handso-" Urahara chirped behind his fan, cutt off from a slap to the head from Yoruichi.

Rukia tried again, holding her book upright. "According to ex-captain Urahara's report, he arrived at the battlefield after you used your sacrificial technique on Aizen. It managed to push him to his limit, causing the Hogyoku to reject him. He was changed back into a normal soul reaper. This allowed for the sealing Kido he invented to take effect, which you saw." She pointed to a bunny with a cane and green hat, then a bunny with brown hair and a stab of red coming out of it.

He scowled. Those drawings weren't adding to her points.

Ukitake and Yoruichi chuckled. The head captain smiled faintly.

Ichigo let out a loud muffle.

"Do you understand so far?" Rukia asked.

He blinked twice.

Her eye twitched as she continued. "What Urahara didn't expect was that the Hogyoku recognised you as its master, instead of the traitor Aizen, due a result of what happened during and after your battle. Got it?"

There was more to it than that, but he could speak up to let them know, so he blinked, leting Rukia continue.

"This caused the Hogyoku to activate and transfer itself to your soul, when it reacted to your desire to protect," she explained, pointing to an orange haired bunny connected to a brown hared bunny with a purple arrow.

He groaned again. They were unbelievably bad.

"You passed out as this happened, and Aizen was sealed." She showed him a drawing of a white-grey cross, and an orange-haired bunny lying on the ground.

He frowned at the cross. Did the Hogyoku turn him into a Quincy?

"When the Hogyoku rejected Aizen, it made him immortal at the same time," she said, tapping the page. "He was taken to soul society and sealed in Muken—it's an underground prison for souls that can't be killed." She turned the page.

The drawing wasn't even recognisable. A blur of black and red rectangles marred the paper. Ichigo let out a long muffle and thrashed about.

Everyone laughed except the old head captain and Rukia.

"Why you… My drawings are not terrible!" she yelled and threw her book at him.

Ukitake chuckled. "Alright, as amusing as that was, I think I'll give you the short version," he offered. "Ah–I think we can make do without your helpful drawings."

Ichigo sighed, and then shut his mouth when Rukia narrowed her eyes.

"Hmph!" Rukia grunted and crossed her arms.

Hopefully that would be all she did, and not kick him senseless while he couldn't run. In fact, she hadn't even made a single move to punch or slap him like usual.

Ukitake began his shortened recount, before Ichigo could blink morse code to ask Rukia what was wrong.

"To summarise everything, Kisuke was able to seal Aizen because of you. The Hogyoku fused with you but at a more perfect level–Kisuke wasn't able to get it out or even find it. However, after Kisuke put you back into your human body-" He paused with a blank face. Yoruichi and Urahara shared a look, and the old head captain remained impassive as usual.

Ichigo blinked a few of times at Ukitake.

Moments passed till the white haired captain spoke. He eyes were tense, but held sadness at the edges that Ichigo couldn't quite decipher. "When you were put back into your body, it disintegrated due to your new spirit energy. We had to take you to the soul society for the safety of the living world. We kept you here at the fourth division under a Kido barrier. That was three months ago. Today your spirit energy surged and you began to transform." he said quickly and picked up Rukia's book, flipping through it. "I believe you looked like this."

A bunny smeared in a black blur took up two thirds of the page.

Ichigo shrugged, assuming that was Rukia's way of saying his powers returned. His spirit energy while in Bankai was black half the time after all, which he never got the chance to ask Zangetsu about. Perhaps his new spirit would be more helpful.

'Yup that's right. We're in it for the long run now. You and I! You're not very good at pleasing a woman though… despite how much you really want to.'

Ichigo muffled into the black cloth again. She was really going to be the death of him.

Ukitake raised eyebrow.

Ichigo blinked, signaling him to continue with the speech.

Urahara leaned forward from behind his fan, and Rukia grimaced, but Ukitake spoke again nevertheless. "Kisuke theorised that you might become a transcended being more powerful than what you became when you defeated Aizen," he said, pausing, hardening his features for a second. "Just as that happened, we restrained you, and sealed most of your power to your to your Zanpukto with a special Asauchi," he finished and took a breath.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow—an Asauchi sounded like something from a bad Manga.

"Quite a mouthful," Ukitake quipped.

Ichigo looked back to his new sealed Zanpukto. They called out to him, emanating a gentle hum of multicolored energy. The pull was almost electric, alluring the valleys of his soul.

He needed answers now.

Closing his eyes, he meditated and focused on his blades.

"Ahh, Ichigo? Are you oka-" Was the last thing he heard before he entered his inner world.

* * *

Ichigo picked his blades from the grassy field of his inner world, strapping them to the sash of his new Shihakshou—not a typical Shihakshou. It flowed in thick, silky fabric that seemingly ate all light in a matte black. The overcoat didn't have sleeves, and the neckline plugged rather low, revealing his more muscled chest compared to when he fought Aizen.

He swiveled his gaze, searching for his spirits. They were elusive as ever; probably hiding somewhere in the trees, which did make his inner world more pleasant, Ichigo had to admit. Old man Zangetsu was right about that, and the lake of course. He never swum often, or sailed in the living world.

"I'm surprised Ichigo," Zangetsu's called from behind, still young and sharp.

Ichigo spun around, heel digging into the soil under the grass. His jaw dropped.

Tensa Zangetsu stood there in his white cloak, fluttering in the breeze. And he was still half-Hollow. Ichigo unstrapped his Katana, examining the fine details of the sheath, grip and guard. It was indeed a standard blade, no different from a black-finished blade found in a sword shop.

"So does this mean… Is old man Zangetsu gone?"

The half-Hollow nodded, expressionless, yet menacing at the same time. The single black-sclera eye and Hollow mask fragmant stood out, taunting Ichigo of his failure in Hueco Mundo. Uryu and Orihime nearly paid for it with their lives, because of him. Because of the inner Hollow he couldn't control.

"So are you my inner hollow now?!" Ichigo demanded. "Are you going to try to take over my body?!"

"Are you stupid?"

Ichigo glared, stretching out an arm in a frenzied gesture. "Answer the question dammit!"

"Did you not listen back in the Dangai?" he said, pausing as the horned fragment grew to a full mask. Red and black spirit energy swirled from his form, giving off gusts of wind. Then a hole burst open in the center of his chest.

"What the hell.."

"We are your power!" he yelled, gesturing with an arm much like Ichigo. "If you prove yourself to be unworthy, if you let yourself drown in despair, if you stop moving forward… we will be forced to take over," he finished in a dark, multi-layered voice.

"But what does that mean?!" Ichigo yelled, glaring even more. "So you were my Hollow the entire time?!"

"I was, and I was not."

"What the fu—"

"As I said, we were one and the same, two sides of a blade. What form we take is irrelevant."

Finally, Ichigo received some answers. It wasn't an answer he liked, nor did it explain why his Hollow was so crazy and insane. Was it a Hollow's way of training? But at least the spirit wasn't going off on a psychotic rampage at the moment. He swallowed, taking a step back. "So… you two were both really Zange— Tensa Zangetsu?"

"Indeed." Irritation coated his snappy reply.

Ichigo's mouth dropped to a gape. It couldn't be possible. Old man Zangetsu and his hollow were both his Zanpukto now. His Zanpukto was part Hollow. How could that even be possible? The quandary bounced across the corners of his mind for several minutes.

"If that's really so… then we will fight as one," he said as Tensa Zangetu's hollow mask reverted back to a fragment.

His other sword spirit appeared next to Tensa Zangetsu. She wore a bottomless Shihakshou that revealed much of her chest and thighs. "Hmph! You said the exact same thing to me earlier." She pouted. "I thought I was special."

Ichigo averted his gaze from her curves and unstrapped his other blade, examining the similar details. It was shorter by a couple of inches, but nearly the exact same as the Katana. To his surprise, the hum of energy was completely different.

"So you're also Tensa Zangetsu?"

"Yup."

"Wouldn't that get a bit confusing?" he asked, giving her a wavering smile.

She leaned to the side, poking her tongue through her cheek. "Nope, we'll know who you're talking to."

He shrugged. She could read minds, and his other spirit wasn't that talkative in the first place. "Right."

A thought sprang. "Does that mean you two can fuse together?"

"Nope, whatever that Urahara guy did put us in these forms permanently—that's why you have two blades now," she explained, crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them up like usual. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Ichigo's face began heating up. He changed the subject before she could do anything perverted. "How do I release these anyway? Do I need one of those release commands?"

His Hollow spirit raised an eyebrow. "You don't know? You should be able to figure out how since you know our name already."

"Tch, of course I can," Ichigo said, drawing his blades. They were both pitch black, matte in finish, reflecting no light. It was like staring into two shards of a void. He held them out, crossing the Katana over the Wakizashi. "Roar! Tensa Zangetsu!" he shouted, and flared his spiritual pressure to the best of his ability.

They remained sealed.

"Cleave! Tensa Zangetsu!"

Nothing.

His spirits exchanged a look. A smirk crept on his Hollow's face, and he disappeared in a buzz. Then his blue-haired spirit adopted a wide grin, and walked up to him, swaying her hips.

"I could just tell you, but what would be the fun in that?" She said in a sly tone, and fingered the knot holding her Shihakshou together.

He gulped, tensing his body. "Wait, what are you doing?"

She kept on swaying, taking her time with each step. "Helping with your release, silly."

"Don't we usually fight for stuff like that?"

"Oh, I meant helping with your release—in more ways than one." She stretched out her arm and pointed at him, then fired five indigo rings at his arms, legs and forehead. Within a second, Ichigo was pinned to the ground under the rings. She strutted over to his side and kicked away his blades.

His stomach clenched. This spirit was crazy. "W-What the hell are you doing?!"

"You'll find out in a moment," she said and pulled off her Shihakshou. "Like what you see?"

Blood rushed up his neck, ballooning his head to a bright red. "GAH! How the hell is this going to see if I'm worthy of a release dammit?!" he yelled, squeezing his eyes shut.

"hmph! why did you close your eyes? We're completely alone here… Just you and I."

his eyes snapped open in a flash of purple-white light.

This was not happening.

He looked anywhere but her. "No! Get away! I'm not that kind of man!"

"Don't worry, you only have to slightly satisfy me," she said and giggled, moving to stand over him with a foot on either side of his waist. Slowly, she crouched down to her knees and straddled him.

"W-What are you doing?! This isn't how a Zanpukto should act!" he shouted, voice rising in pitch. His nose almost bled and ears nearly steamed from all the blood pumping into his head.

"I think I'll decide on how I should act, andnd according to desires you've been repressing for so long, I think this is exactly how you want it." She growled and ripped open his Shihakshou, then pulled down his Hakama and underpants. She traced her finger over his abs, up chest and jawline. She bent over and pushed her full body up against his, rubbing back and forth.

He felt everything.

Fire exploded on his cheeks and blood trickled down his nose. "N-No! I don't want my release command anymore! I don't want my release command anymore!" Every inch of her skin caressed his. Her firm, slim waist. Her large, soft breasts.

"Oh, looks like little Ichigo has woken up," she said, pushing her stomach against his hard member.

"W-Wai-" he squeaked, but her lips descended upon his.

Her tongue entered his mouth and danced with his. He fought back, pushing her away with, but his resistance only added to the delicious dance. She kept twisting, licking him, sucking on his lips. Her sweet taste was intoxicating.

She grabbed his hair, pushing her body against his even tighter, deepening the kiss.

He could only lay back and enjoy, for it was one of the best moments ever.

She moaned into his mouth and pulled back, looking into his eyes. "Looks like you pass."

He blinked. What did he just do?

"As I said, you only had to slightly satisfy me," She said, laughing and stroking his abs.

She leaned to his ear, whispered the release command, and got off him.

He shook his head, shaking off the stupor of the sweetness, and replayed the command to himself. It was long—long enough that someone might stab him before he said it in battle. He might even mess it up, and have to start over it if he wasn't careful. Did Ukitake and Kyoraku also have these ridiculous damn releases?

"Why's it so damn long?"

She shrugged. "I dunno, why's your hair orange?"

His eye twitched. "Theres nothing wrong with orange hair!" he yelled, struggling against the rings. "Are you going to let me up?"

"Hmph." She undid the bindings and conjured another see-through dress for herself.

As his blood settled, he put his Shihakshou back on and grumbled. "Damn perverted Zanpukto."

After a moment, his mind sprang back to the outer world—Ukitake and everyone were probably waiting, or making fun of his sudden departure.

She stuck out her tongue. "I'm only this way because of you," she said, fingers on her hip. "I'm a manifestation of your deepest desires."

He groaned, palming his eyes. Just great. Forever stuck with a pervert like her.

"And not bad for a first kiss."

It was indeed not bad, he grudgingly admitted, but not out loud.

"I can read minds remember…"

"Yeah whatever," he mumbled and picked up his Zanpuktos.

Taking a big breath, he shouted.

"However, that's only the first half," She interrupted.

He scoffed. The first half! The current length can already get him killed if he fought someone fast enough like Ulquiorra or Byakuya. They wouldn't even give him a spare second to say the damn thing, especially Byakuya. Kenpachi or Grimmjow might let him, out of the lust for a good fight. "Are you serious?!" he said, pointing a blade at her.

"Yup," she said, nodding, then strutted up to him again.

He braced himself, not having expected another round of… whatever that was. "W-Wait- I'm sure we can work something out, without doing something, like that again."

She only gave him a pointed look. "Sorry, but you're going to be disappointed."

He sighed in relief. "I'm not disappointed!"

She ran her fingers down to her waist, and stroked her lower lips. "Don't worry, little Ichigo will get his hands on this… soon."

He averted his eyes. "GAH! Don't do that—Especially not while wearing that!"

"But I love this dress…" she said, frowning a mock-frown. "You'll just have to get used to it."

"I doubt it." That see through dress was much worse than the Shihakshou—one day it'll get him in trouble, or ruin his reputation built up from years of hard work. He'd be treated like Keigo, of all people. His stomach sank at the thought.

His Hollow spirit appeared in a buzz next to her, holding a pure-white copy of both sealed blades, then his counterpart materialised the same blades as well.

"Your next test is upon you. You will now fight us together. If you cannot figure out what your release is before you collapse-" Tensa Zangetsu began.

"Then we will be forced to beat it into you," she finished.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Rukia's chest constricted in worry as Ichigo lay in the dirt. He wouldn't open his eye or show any signs of response despite her jabs and teasing. She leaned forward to kick him but the seal's function came to mind, stopping her foot midair. Growling, she turned to glare at Urahara, who still examined Ichigo with pursed lips.

"Relax, It's probably nothing," Yoruichi said, rubbing her shoulder, transferring some heat. "He's just doing something rash again."

Right. It couldn't be possible that the Hogyoku activated again—though Urahara could be wrong, and made a mistake with the Asauchi. But it was Ichigo they were talking about, and he was an idiot.

She sighed and turned to her captain.

He blinked when his eyes caught her's, and rubbed his head. "Perhaps he just collapsed from exhaustion," he said, glancing at Ichigo. "He had an incredible about of spirit energy running through him." He offered a smile.

Rukia considered it—that could be the case, after all, even he didn't have an infinite well. No one could. All that power had to come from somewhere; changing form or transferring between bodies, or even being absorbed from the ambient energy of Soul Society. But it was impossible to create energy out of nothing.

And in Ichigo's case, he was a soul who could absorb and hold an unimaginable amount of energy.

The head captain glanced at her, nodding, as if he could read her mind.

She rose an eyebrow, and he shook his head.

Just developed intuition.

Urahara leaned forward from behind his fan.

Rukia nudged him. "You don't think it's happening again do you?"

He peeked at her, a glint flashing in his eye. "For the last time…" he said, snapping his fan shut. "I'm not sure."

"It shouldn't be possible, considering what we used on him" captain Ukitake interjected. "We more or less had to use one of our last resorts, but Ichigo hasn't failed to surprise me yet."

She took breath. Urahara was a genius after all. If anything could seal the power of the Hogyoku, it would be something he inven— Captain Ukitake said it was their last resort.

"What was that liquid you used on the Asauchi?" Rukia asked.

"Oh that? It was nothing, just some black paint!" Urahara answered, waving his fan.

Yoruichi bonked him on the head again.

"Ah don't worry, we'll explain everything when Ichigo wakes up again from his nap," captain Ukitake said, chuckling at Urahara.

A different voice called from behind. "Sorry I'm late. I had to convince Yuzu that she couldn't come."

"Isshin Shiba," the head captain stated in greeting.

Ichigo's dad waved his arms comically. "Don't call me that old-man Yama. I still haven't told Ichigo yet," he said in a hushed tone and looked towards his son. His face perked up. "what's with him? I thought it happened already and Kisuke used it."

Rukia scowled. Everyone was in on it except her.

Urahara spoke in a low voice. "It appears that Ichigo is in Jinzen…"

"That's obvious," Rukia muttered.

"But what's not obvious is what he's talking about." He shared a look with Yoruichi and Ichigo's dad. "Perhaps we should have hidden his Zanpukto till we explained—oh well too late now!"

Yoruichi bonked him on the head again. "You idiot this is serious, what if he finds out?"

"It's fine, he's bound to find out eventually," Ichigo's dad said.

"Find out about what exactly?" Rukia's captain asked.

"You didn't know the whole story? Well long ago, in a town far far away, there—"

"You shall speak no more of this," the head captain interrupted. "That information will be kept on a need to know basis."

Rukia scowled again, and then scowled some more. What was with the captains and secrets?

Ichigo's dad, captain Ukitake and Yoruichi all gaped at the head captain, but Urahara lowered his hat an inch, covering his eyes even more.

Rukia made a mental note to buy herself a Chappy hat later. The Chappy shops in the shopping complexes of the Seireitei housing districts should have some… or she'd have to exert some authority to persuade the weavers to begin production.

A high-pitched, muffled noise came from Ichigo—a strange noise. The skin over his on eye pinched his eye shut in a scowl with several lines.

Urahara leaned forward again, poking his fan forwards but stopped within half a meter.

More squeaks bubbled from Ichigo.

Urahara and Ichigo's dad started to snicker but Yoruichi bonked them both on the base of their necks, knocking them unconscious. They slumped to the ground, boinking their heads on each other, like the goofballs they are. Rukia chuckled once.

"By the looks of that, it looks like his new sword spirit is giving him quite the time," Yoruichi said, grinning.

"And what do you mean by that?" Rukia asked, punching her arm, then regretting it. It was like punching a compressed sack of sick.

"Oh, just it looks like he's going to be spending a lot of nights in Jinzen."

No, she couldn't be implying…

Rukia narrowed her eyes. "Zangetsu's a guy."

"Maybe he's—"

Rukia slapped her mouth shut before that sentence finished. She just giggled under her hand and pointed at Ichigo's waist. His Hakama bulged where the bandages disintegrated from before.

Her cheeks fired up, for more reasons than one, because he couldn't be gay. He just couldn't. But his pants said otherwise, saying he was. It would explain a lot of thing though, like why Ichigo never made a move on an attractive girl—and why he was such a prude.

But he just couldn't be, Rukia pleaded to herself.

"Oh don't worry, there's still a chance he's straight," Yoruichi said, giggling. "He's got two Zanpukto now remember?" She wagged an eyebrow.

Her suggestion clicked after a moment. Rukia's captain and Kyoraku both had two spirits, according to what they said during a gathering. That should only mean Ichigo's new spirit's a girl—quite a pretty one.

It better not be a guy, or there'd be hell to pay.

His bulge still didn't fade.

"Why are you staring? Is it because you want to grab a handful of Ichigo?" Yoruichi teased.

More blood rushed to Rukia's cheeks, thumping up her neck.

Her suggestive grin stretched to a ridiculous size. "You better be fast—or I might just take him for myself."

Rukia growled, but she kept going on.

"However, it looks like his new sword spirit already got to him."

That slapped Rukia speechless. Ichigo wasn't like that, and neither would a manifestation of his soul. Unless he was secretly a pervert.

Ichigo let out a muffled moan.

Rukia's core heated up, enticed by the sound.

The head captain cleared his throat.

Her captain chuckled. "Alright, as entertaining that was, I think we better undo those seals and take him to somewhere more private before he…" he trailed off with a cough.

He raised his hand and chanted a long Kido, then fired several shots of spirit energy at the bindings, causing them to slack around Ichigo.

Just as that happened, a massive spiritual pressure engulfed the area. Rukia collapsed to her knees, palming the ground for support, breathless. Only the head captain was comparable to this.

Ichigo's dad and Urahara jolted awake, shooting a look at Ichigo.

"Gentei rein!" captain Ukitake shouted.

The pressure dropped but sweat still dripped down her forehead. She raised her own spiritual pressure until moving through the resistance was fluid. Though it was still like wading through muddy water back in one of the academy exercises, designed to teach weaker Soul Reapers to withstand officers without fainting.

Standing slowly, she took a few breaths. Everyone looked to be unaffected except for a slight sweat. The head captain didn't even appear to notice.

Urahara and Yoruichi turned to each other, speaking in hushed voices. Something about a guard leaked through.

A guard for Ichigo? They couldn't still be thinking of having to keep Ichigo locked up somewhere, confined to a tiny portion of the Seireitei where it was safe for him to live.

Rukia let it drop as captain Ukitake approached.

He smiled. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine."

"I forgot you weren't at the level of a captain yet," he said, and meandered over to check on Ichigo.

A captain one day? Rukia didn't know how to respond. She obtained a Shikai decades ago, that was true, but all the lieutenants did. And Rengi even reached Bankai—he wasn't becoming a captain any time soon despite that. Many years of training still separated him from the minimum level of a captain, and a few decades of maturity.

"Lets get him somewhere to rest," captain Ukitake suggested, inclining his head. "His spiritual pressure's still too heavy for the fourth division…" he trailed off, looking around.

"The new Shiba compound is still under construction," Ichigo's dad said, shoulders wilting, then perked straight. "But after it's finished it'll be fitting for the hero of the winter war and my third daughter to live in!"

Rukia blushed again, coughing, brushing off Ichigo's eccentric dad. "Captain, we could take him the Kuchiki compound. I can set aside an area for him to stay near the training grounds and ask the servants to keep their distance," she offered, straining to maintain a formal tone.

Her captain smiled. "That would be great, I hope Byakuya doesn't mind."

"Oh my third daughter and son are already moving in together! We're going to have our first grandkids soon Masaki!" Ichigo's dad yelled.

"W-What, we're n-not-" she stuttered.

A spray of blood arced through the air. Rukia spun around, lashing the muscles in her back and legs. The pain didn't matter, because multiple cuts on Ichigo's arms, chest and cheek bled into the dirt. Worst of all, a large gash dug into his chest—deep but not life threatening.

* * *

Ichigo swallowed and stepped back. His spirits looked at him, expectantly, as if he was wasting their valuable time. They couldn't be more unlike, but at this moment, they could be siblings.

"Hey guys… Let's not be hasty here," he said, shuffling backward. "There's two of you now and you both have two swords."

Tensa pushed out her hips, breaking character. "If you're worried about dying as a virgin—"

"I'm not worried about that at all!"

But a thought flounced from the depths of his mind, saying he really was. And then a knot in his stomach also betrayed his words. He growled, mentally slapping his body back to shape.

She smirked. "Don't worry, you can relax, cus you'll get to have your way with me… after I'm done with you."

Before he could retort, she appeared in front of him and pecked his lips, letting him taste some of her nectar. He returned the kiss for a second before she leaned back, keeping him at bay with a hand on his chest.

He blinked, shaking off the stupor. "W-What are you doing?!"

"I think that's obvious," she said, giggling and patting his chest.

"I thought we were going to fight!"

In the next second, she jumped back, spinning with both arms outstretched. A cut appeared on his cheek before he registered what happened, the sting of the wound.

"Oh we are fighting."

"GAH!" Ichigo flash stepped away and stemmed the bloodflow with the back of his hand. "Who the hell does that in a fight?!"

She ignored him. "You have ten hours Ichigo. We will fight you in turns until then, but if you can't figure out the rest of your release command, we will go all out on you." She declared in a low voice.

"Ten hours? Are you sure thats—"

"Though for me, it will be going all out in more ways than one. I hope little Ichigo's ready," she teased.

His eyes lingered on her form and descended to her groin.

She lifted her dress, stroking herself.

Heat flooded his face as he looked away. As he predicted, right here in this inner world, she'd be the death of him.

At the corner of his eye, he barely noticed the disappearance of his blue-haired spirited. Her Hollow counterpart charged at him in her place.

"This will be your first battle! Here I come!" his Hollow spirit roared, slashing with his blades one after another, violently.

Ichigo blocked as his blush settled—just barely, before he would've received a cross-cut to his chest. The shockwave of the impact forced him into the trees, punching him through endless pine needles and sharp branch endings.

A static buzz echoed from behind, jolting through Ichigo's ears. His eyelids stuttered as burning steel tore through his back.

Red sprayed against blue.

"ARRGHH" he yelled, and flash stepped into the air, brushing past more needles and twigs.

He tensed for agonising seconds as his wounds stopped bleeding.

Tensa Zangetsu was much more powerful just then, at least twice as much compared to in the Dangai. It would make sense since there were two blades now, but it was strange that both spirits were skilled with them—Ichigo never trained in dual wield before.

His Hollow finally reappeared several meters in front of him. "Are you done running?"

"Bite me." Ichigo raised his Katana, charging spirit energy into the edge. "Getsuga Tensho!" he cried and released the attack.

A skyscraper sized moon-fang of darkness tore through trees and buildings. His spirit responded with a flick of his white katana, dispelling the spirit energy into a swirl around himself.

Then he charged again, at a much greater speed than before.

Ichigo's bones shook as their blades clashed back and forth, sending shockwaves through his inner world. His Hollow spirit's strikes were heavy and wide, giving him much time to adjust his position to block or dodge.

Parry, parry, dodge, counterstrike, dodge. He kept it up, backing away with each dodge.

It was impossible to keep up. Every slash he parried, another strike was already lined up behind it—thanks to the extra blade.

Close to his short-term limit, Ichigo flashed back a good twenty meters.

"You seem to be getter better… but with the way you're using those blades, you might as well only have one arm!" Tensa Zangetsu shouted at him, dashing forward, not letting Ichigo breath a second.

He growled, and picked up the rate of parrying and dodging, eventually finding an opening for a good strike. He twisted his stance as he parried another blow, and brought up the Wakizashi up for a slash.

But the blade caught against his other arm, cutting deep into his forearm. He stepped back and scowled at his blades.

Fighting with them was impossible.

The swords almost taunted at him, humming with amusement in a black void.

Tensa Zangetsu smirked, and then raised both blade. The white Daisho pair glowed as they sliced the air in a cross-cut motion.

Ichigo squinted, blinded for a second from the light released by the move. As the light dimmed, a massive, white cross of spirit energy tore through the inner world, headed at him.

He barely threw himself out of it's way—though the attack still burned part of his left arm. He lifted his blades again, readying for another clash, breathing heavily.

He recited the first half of his release command in his mind. There wasn't even a damn clue for what word would come next.

* * *

's futon, reading a Chappy romance novel, glancing at Ichigo every few minutes. Even after five hours, he fought in his inner world for whatever reason his thick head had dug up. Urahara and captain Ukitake had insisted to not forcibly draw him out until whatever he and his Zanpukto had to settle was finished. She could only sit at his side with her Chappies, watching him take injury after injury.

More sparks of black spirit energy danced across his face and body.

Her forehead creased as another gash opened up on his left hip. Blood dripped onto the polished wooden floors. Hundreds of gashes appeared and disappeared on their own without the need of healing kido during the hours—a jagged web of veins followed by a coating of a white substance combined with indigo spirit energy appeared to seal up the wounds after a few minutes.

She reached out with her palms and shaped her spirit energy for a healing Kido. It wasn't necessary, but his regeneration had a long delay. Any serious injury would result in quite the bloodloss, but perhaps it would be different in that case. Or not.

Footsteps echoed through the room as her brother appeared beside her.

"Rukia," her brother greeted.

She stood and turned to face him. He still hadn't change out of his Shihakshou or captains' Haori. "Brother, Have you come to check up on Ichigo?"

"The head captain has requested a report on his status," he said, stoic as ever. "Has he shown any sign of waking?" Whether it was part of his own Kuchiki mask or just typical blankness wasn't clear. It seemed to be the latter.

Rukia's face dropped, scowling an inch. "No, right now the rate of injury seems to be at it's worst."

"I see." He said simply, and let the seconds run.

That was all he had to say, as usual.

Or, apparently this time, he did. "You should get some rest. it's getting late. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Thank you for your concern, I'll be headed off shortly." The words left her mouth automatically, practiced a thousand times in front of the mirror just for those stuck-up nobles. They saw right through of course.

Her Brother eyed Ichigo's Zanpukto pair for a few seconds, almost respectfully—a rare expression he ever held. There were few times Rukia could recall when he showed any respect at all. First was when he received a direct order from the head captain, and the only other time was when he paid respect to his parents and Hisana.

He turned, meandering out the room, but spoke over his shoulder. "The guards are also having problems keeping his father out of the compound—just so you know in case someone sneaks in tonight"

Rukia blinked. Was that a joke? She eyed his lighter gait as she let his comment drop, but couldn't helping thinking of Ichigo's dad—a typical Shiba male raised in their mad household. Eccentric, over-the-top, and charismatic. In ways he was much like kaien; Ichigo's apparent cousin. The reveal paralyzed her the other month, and even now, echoes of guilt haunt her. Not only did she kill her mentor, she killed one of Ichigo's family members.

She breathed, and shoved the guilt into a closet where it belonged.

A faint, blue-purple glow pulsed through the room from Ichigo's Wakizashi.

Warmth flooded her body and ignited her core as she gasped, collapsing onto her knees as the heat filled her core. She turned to Ichigo. His longer orange hair, strong jaw, flawless skin, and hard muscles called out to her. Not only that, he was her Ichigo—her strawberry.

She crawled up to him and put a hand on his soft yet chiseled face. Heart pounding, she closed the distance between their lips and kissed him. She brushed her tongue against his lips, savoring his taste. Warm, strangely sweet—and soft. She kissed him for several seconds, pushing herself into his hard body.

Then the warmth faded.

What the hell was she doing? Her eyes shot open and she jolted away from his unconscious form. Jumping up, she picked up her Chappies and walked out of the room before her brother or someone walked in.

She breathed and repeated two words to herself. Nothing happened. But the strawberry will have a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

Ichigo panted as he burst out of the icy lake, shivering before his spirit energy heated his body back up. It seemed like Tensa enjoyed tossing him into the lake, ever since she took her first turn. That was at least several hours ago. No signs of passing time existed in this inner world; the sky remained blue without a trace of a sun.

For a second, images of a storm-filled sky and hurricane winds filled his mind.

Light laughter rang through his ears, shaking him out of the trance.

Ichigo scowled. He underestimated her at first. She was as strong as his Hollow spirit, if not more powerful, but they seemed to be roughly equal; just complete opposites in their fighting styles.

"Had enough yet ichigooo?" she taunted, pushing out her breasts. "Maybe we should skip this and get to the fun part."

He blushed for the countless time. "Thats not going to happen! I'm getting that damn release command even if I have to beat it out of you two!"

"So are you saying you like it rough?"

He growled, not risking saying anything else, for she could turn anything he said back against him. He learned that, painfully, when they fought during their turns earlier. He lost almost every bout—every single bout—in their clash of words and blade.

"Hmmmmmph," she breathed, pouting. "Nothing to say? Is my Ichigo broken?" she asked, then fired another wave of blue-purple energy at him without pausing. Her attack shot through the air much like his Getsuga Tensho, and was shaped similarly, except was less defined and more like a beam of reishi.

He flash stepped away, then charged at her with his Katana outstretched.

She dodged and parried every slash and stab with unbelievable agility and grace. Tiny flicks of her wrist and body outmaneuvered him, outclassing clunky throws of his arms.

He flash stepped between strikes, careful to not rely on his short sword or he'd cut himself again.

Slash, stab, flash step.

He repeated the pattern whenever opening appeared, which happened on the rare occasion when she twirled excessively, or paused in her chaotic rhythm. Too bad her quick and small movements smeared her form into blur of white and blue. He hadn't even cut her once, and received several lashes each time they met to clash.

She appeared behind him a blink of white-purple light and uppercut him again, spraying blood into the air.

Then before he could react, she spun, harshly kicking him down into the lake again.

Cold water raged around him as he sank, soothing his tiring body. His muscles screamed, his lungs burned, and his ribs nearly snapped from that last blow. How could she be so strong? He would've laughed if it weren't for the water he had to keep out of his airways.

Oh, he could breath underwater here. But that was irrelevant, because that damn release command was still a mystery. He had to get it. He'd do anything to obtain it. He needed that power—the power to protect. However, he was at his limit. He'd pass out soon, in a struggle for those last words.

The only relief was that his wounds healed at a ridiculous rate for some reason.

He breathed in several mouthfuls of water, and burst out of the lake once again, landing in the field. He replayed his mental recording of all times their blades clashed, all the times their blades met, all the times their eyes met. They were part of him, and so was that damn release command.

His Hollow spirit embodied his instinct and will to fight, his will to protect.

What was her embodiment?

He held out both blades and shouted a release command in a rush of words, barely coherent. "Tensa Zangetsu!" he finished and raised his spiritual pressure.

Nothing. The black pair remained sealed.

"Dammit!" he swore into the clearing and slumped to the grass.

His beautiful sword spirit appeared in font of him, smiling. "You almost got it, but too bad your wording was wrong," she said and sauntered over. "Also your time's up—for a while now."

Damn. "So does that mean I'm going to have to try again another time?"

"Nah, since you were so close…" she trailed off, undoing the knots of her see-through dress.

His eyes widened. Dread sank into his stomach like a boulder.

"W-Wait, I'm sure I can get it just give me-" he urged and tried to stand, but slumped back to the ground, defeated by his own exhaustion.

She closed the distance and stood over him. He looked up at her, blushing at the view up her dress. Sweat coated her skin in a shine.

He swallowed.

She took off her white dress and pinned him to the ground with her shiny, sweaty body. She leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "Since you were so close, I'll tell you the release command—if you do what I want."

He swallowed again.

Her lips descended on his, giving him a long, thorough kiss. He resisted at first but soon her sweet taste took over again.

Blood rushed up his neck as she kissed and rubbed against him. It felt good—way too good. Heat built up in his core, and soon he was tightly pressed against her slick skin. Her musky, lavender aroma assaulted him, engulfing his mind as she moaned and rhythmically glided on him.

She ended the kiss and moved down his body, tearing open his tattered Shihakshou.

"N-No… Wai…" he stuttered and trailed off as her soft hand massaged his waist through his bulging underclothes. Another person—or spirit—touched him there, in his special place. It felt so wrong, yet felt so great. He just let it happen.

"Good boy." She ripped off the remainder of his clothing, and his dick sprang to life, slapping against her stomach.

She ran her other hand against his muscled chest down to his waist, and took hold of his throbbing member. She rubbed him down and licked the tip. He let out an involuntary moan as a wave of tingly pleasure washed through him.

"I knew you wanted it Ichigo," she said, licking again. "Seems like all I have to do is beat you senseless till you stop resisting."

"W-Wha-" he said, but inhaled sharply as her mouth enveloped his manhood.

He never felt something so pleasing. Her warm, soft, wet opening glided along his member. Her tongue massaged and rubbed against his length.

Ichigo let out a high pitched breath of pleasure.

She applied more pressure and sucked on him even more, intensifying the buzz prickling through his body. "Ooooooooooooooooh more," he breathed, arcing his back, pushing himself into her.

She moved her mouth over his cock faster as her tongue danced around his length. He moaned more, and even more when she kept it up, increasing her speed as more saliva pooled down her mouth. She licked, sucking down even inch of his cock, firing several bursts of intense bliss through his system.

A stab of heat built up that wanted to be released.

"S-Stop- Stop it or I'm going to-" He released everything into her mouth.

He panted, and sank into the grass with a hand on his forehead. His fatigue already passed his limit.

He heard her swallow, igniting another spark of lust, but his consciousness already slipped.

She leaned down to him and whispered the full release command as darkness engulfed his vision.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was warm—and very soft. For some reason, his blanket rose and fell in swells of lavender air. Ichigo hugged the duvet and yawned. The lavender calmed his aching bones and muscles, and washed away his sleepy stupor. He creaked opened his eyes, to the sight of a messy pile of long, blue hair buried into his neck.

"AHHH!" he yelled, pushing against his blue-haired spirit. He managed to move her less than an inch as he struggled. Her arms wrapped around him in a firm grip, and her legs clung to his in a smooth tangle.

He growled, shaking her awake. "Tensa Zangetsu!"

She unwrapped her limbs by a few inches and pushed herself up, looking into his eyes. "Oh good morning Ichigo, thanks for waking me," she said and kissed him on the cheek, then collapsed back onto his bare chest.

Ichigo gasped as her body rubbed against his in a torrent of bloody fire, igniting every nerve in shameful lust.

He wasn't sure what was worse; his crazy dad, or his crazy, perverted Zanpukto spirit. "Why the hell are you under the covers!? And why are we both naked?!"

"Hmmmmm?" she murmured into his neck.

"Why— are— we— sleeping— together— naked?!" he said, hardening his voice and jaw.

She sighed, and pushed herself back up again. Her breasts bounced against his neck, almost breaking his resolve. Gods, handfuls of those heavenly pillows would be better than anythi— He mentally slapped himself. Where the hell did that come from?

"Well you were getting cold last night, so I decided to come out, and keep you warm, silly," She said with a smile. "As for our clothes, I thought it would feel much better," she added and rested back onto his chest. His skin burned as the curves of her body and soft breasts pushed against him, calling out to his primal urges to dominate her.

He growled, and slapped himself again.

"Wh-What the hell are you doing?! Put some damn clothes on!" he stuttered, voice breaking to a higher pitch.

"Oh? You didn't tell me to get off though," she teased, pushing against him even more. "Should I assume, you're liking our position just as much as I am?" She giggled and trailed a burning finger across his chest.

A squeak of a sentence left his mouth. "W-What I'm not that kind— "

"Not that kind of man?"

"I'm not that Kind of man!" he said in his best normal-pitched voice.

"I'm surprised," she quipped, staring into him with swirling blue eyes, captivating the expanses of his mind. "I would think that you'd be less of a prude after what happened yesterday after out fights," she said a mischievous glint sparkled into the swirls of blue.

"What are you talking about… nothing happe—" he said before images flashed across his eyes. Images of her— and himself— and her sucking on his— His faced and body burned in torturous heat as his manhood hardened.

She rubbed herself against his waist even more.

Then his little Zanpukto twitched. She smiled, humping him more harder.

A phrase also echoed though his mind.

So she choked up the release command after all.

"Looks like little Ichigo is fully awake again. I guess we better continue where we left off," She offered and lathered her hands over his body, trailing close towards his waist. Dangerously close.

"W-Wait! It's n-not what you think! We just-"

Another voice pierced into the room. A very familiar voice. "Ichigo? Is everything okay? Are you fighting again?!"

In the doorway stood none other than Rukia. The midget he fought the entire soul society to save; the midget he fought with and nearly let down in Hueco Mundo. The beautiful midge— he mentally slapped himself yet again. She looked at the spirit in his arms, and a red tint fuzzed onto her cheeks.

"Wha- who the hell is that?! When did she get in here?!" she said, pointing a finger.

Ichigo gulped. "Rukia! Wait— This isn't what it looks like. She was just keeping me warm. This is just my—"

"I'm his cute, lovable, and adorable Zanpukto spirit," she said and waved. "Nice to meet you, Rukia… Ichigo and I have a lot of fun together,"

Beads of sweat dripped down his neck.

Rukia blanked, examining his spirit for nearly a minute. "So she's your new Zanpukto spirit…" she trailed off and her expression changed to something he couldn't read. Her lips pursed a fraction of an inch, and her neck muscles tightened, barely visible, but it was there, along with the usual mad scowl when he did something that rustled her.

"Theres no need to be jealous Rukia," his spirit said. "I'm more than willing to share my Ichigo here, in-fact… You're just on time." She shifted to the side and threw off the blanket.

His hot erection bounced into the air.

"WHA—!" he yelled and covered his manhood and snatched back the blanket.

His spirit laughed and threw herself back on him beneath the blanket.

Rukia was staring with wide eyes and a completely red face. After several moments she finally spoke up with a smirk. "Oh… So you two have done it already? Does that mean you're finally a man, Strawberry?"

Ichigo blinked. That wasn't much like her—how much had changed in three months?

His spirit twisted around, grinning. "Oh not quite, we were just about to have to fun before you showed up. However my Ichigo here sure does like it when I suck hi—" She was cut off as Ichigo grabbed her and slapped his hand over her mouth.

"GAH!"What the hell?!"

"Wh-What really? I didn't think Ichigo was like that," Rukia said with eyebrows raised. Ichigo blinked again. This was definitely not the same Rukia, or it was a side of Rukia he'd never seen before.

"Oh Ichigo! Don't be so rough, my bruises still haven't healed yet!" His sword spirit exclaimed through his fingers. He looked down. He was pinning her back to his chest and squeezing her large breast. More blood rushed to his face and waist— and poked her in the back.

"Careful Rukia! Or his lustful rampage will consume you as well!"

"I'm not on a lustful ra—"

"Oh right there! Harder!"

He immediately let go of her and pulled at his hair. "This is not happening dammit!"

His spirit took the opportunity to grab his manhood, showing it to Rukia. "Don't you want some of this? Look at how large it is."

"GAH!" Ichigo scoffed and covered himself again.

Rukia stared at his waist area with a massive blush. "Looks like you're a big headed pervert after all," she said, then to Ichigo's surprise, she smirked. "And I don't think you'd be able to handle both of us at the same time without fainting."

His jaw dropped. What the hell happened to her?

Rukia turned, striding through the door, but then called over her shoulder. "Oh, there's a captains meeting and you're expected. I can tell by that hell butterfly that you don't even know about it. You're in my house by the way, so don't break anything. Breakfast is down the long hall to the right," she said and left.

Ichigo tilted his head up to where she pointed. A large, black butterfly circled around him, giving off occasional black sparks. It landed on his nose and a voice rang through his ears. 'All captains are to report to the squad one barracks for a captain's meeting at nine. Ichigo Kurosaki you are also to attend.'

Memories of the previous day surfaced as he deciphered the message. The captains still had a lot of explaining to do—about Aizen, his family, and everything else. At least he wasn't bound up anymore.

"Aww looks like we don't have much time for ourselves Ichigo. But we can still have a quicky…" Tensa said and reached between his legs.

"No chance in hell you crazy pervert!" he yelled and jumped out the futon, reaching for his clothing.

"Hmph, still no good at satisfying a woman…" she complained and pouted before dematerialising.

He quickly dressed as his blood settled and strapped both of his new Zanpuktos to his hip. "Yeah whatever damn blue haired pervert…" he muttered and left for breakfast, scowling at the polished floor. Rukia better have returned to normal.

* * *

Soifon stood under her pavilion, watching her protege train in the second division grounds. The young Soul Reaper progressed well these months; not prodigious, but well enough to be considered more than passable by her standards. She pushed her hard, to improve of course. It was necessary since it was direct orders from the head captain. Most importantly, it was her duty to make sure her student would turn out like herself when she was trained under lady Yoruichi.

"Alright that's enough, Five minute break!" Soifon called into the flash stepping poles.

Her protege landed next to her with and took a breath, shaking out her muscles for a few seconds, then reaching for her water bottle.

"How did I do? I think I got in a few more that time," Yuzu said cheerily, flashing a smile.

Yuzu Shiba Kurosaki—younger sister of the winter war hero, Ichigo kurosaki. Soifon shivered. He was one of the most powerful Shinigami ever born, and the youngest too at only sixteen years. He'd even be capable of challenging the head captain, and killing Soifon with a single swing of his blade—if what that lazy Urahara said was true.

"You're doing well."

"Really? I feel barely any faster compared to you and Yoruichi."

"Remember, we're captains. You're doing well for a student, though you could channel your spiritual pressure better as you land," Soifon commented.

Yuzu nodded and checked her communicator when it beeped just then.

Soifon exhaled and swept the area for spiritual pressure signatures. They asked her to take extra caution to keep Yuzu's existence out of the general public, especially since her brother just awoke.

A faint captain level pressure radiated in the distance—from the Kuchiki compound, which only meant Kuchiki was recently in battle, or…

They did say Ichigo couldn't control spirit energy well.

Yuzu nudged her arm. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing, don't worry," she assured with a small smile, which felt awkward as hell, but she allowed it; Yuzu reminded Soifon of when she trained under lady Yoruichi—perhaps Yuzu would grow close as well… though it would be dangerous for many reasons.

"Alright," Yuzu said after a few seconds, then picked up her Asauchi from her hip. "When do you think my inner spirit will start talking to me? Does it not like me?" she asked with a small scowl. That was unbecoming; A scowl didn't fit her face like Ichigo's did.

"The longer your spirit energy is in contact with the blade, the more likely you'll eventually be able to communicate with your spirit."

"But it's been months already," Yuzu said, waving her Asauchi.

"Most soul reapers never gain access to their Shikai or even talk to their spirt, it could take many years," Soifon said, and added more to her explanation as Yuzu's face dropped. "However, given your heritage it is unlikely you won't be able to communicate with your Zanpukto. I would even say that one day you'll be as powerful as a captain."

A future captain of the court guard squads could be standing right next to her—a large possibility. The only problem was from what Yuzu's shown already, she only seemed to be above average. Maybe a lieutenant one day but seeing her as a captain was difficult.

Yuzu perked up when Soifon made her comment. "So I'll be like Ichigo and dad one day? How come my spirit doesn't even want to talk to me if I'm like them?" she asked with a another scowl.

Soifon huffed and kept reassuring her. "Don't compare yourself to your father or brother. Isshin had centuries of training and… Ichigo is something else. Spirit energy also rises the fastest when the soul is in danger of destruction. I'm sure your inner spirit will start talking to you eventually."

Yuzu titled her head and then smiled. "Thanks, I guess. I'll just keep at it. I'm sure with you helping me out I'll have a friend in my head like you eventually," she said, looking up to Soifon. "You know, you're a lot like a big sister."

Soifon blinked. She never had anything like a sister or even siblings, apart from lady Yoruichi, except lady Yoruichi was the most beauti— she looked back to Yuzu and forced out another smile. "Sure, I never had another like that before."

"Really? Yoruichi isn't your cousin or something?"

Soifon nearly took a step back as her neck heated. "Yoru—" she stuttered. "Lady Yoruichi is my past mentor and someone I hold in deep respect. We aren't related. But I do kind of think of you like a little sister as well."

"I could have sworn she was…"

Yuzu looked backed to her Asauchi and sheathed it carefully, holding the blade and sheath far away from her body. Soifon tensed a few muscles; unable to help it. The first time Yuzu unsheathed her Asauchi, she cut herself across her hip, leaving quite the gash. Soifon assumed she received some training since Ichigo did, but apparently, both his sisters never fought once in their lives.

Yuzu spoke up again, snapping Soifon out of her thought. "So when are you going to teach me more of that Kido stuff. I always wanted to learn magic. It's way more fun that those flash steps or sword fighting."

Soifon deadpanned. The world of the living changed a lot in the past few hundred years. "You'll need better control over your spirit energy and spiritual pressure to be able to fire even the basic low level Kido. I hope you turn out much better in that regard compared to your brother."

"Is Ichigo awake yet? Can I go see him?"

"I'm not sure if he's awake but I can tell you that…" Soifon began and paused, not sure how to best explain it. "As I said Ichigo has difficulty controlling his enormous spiritual pressure. Even currently with the limiter that captains and lieutenants get you might still find it difficult to stand in his presence. If that limiter somehow lost control then you might even be killed," she said in a rush of words, hoping it wouldn't be too much to take in.

Yuzu looked down again and pursed her lips.

Not too bad, so Soifon continued. "Also, as everyone has said it would be unwise to let Ichigo see you," she reminded her, rubbing her shoulder. "You know how he overreacts. He would blame himself for what happened as usual. The faster we finish your basic training the faster we can get you back to Karakura town and pretend nothing happened. you know of the plan—you'll get to talk to him soon so don't worry."

"Yeah… I know…"

Soifon forced out another tiring smile.

Then a hell butterfly appeared, sprinkling black dusk into the pavilion. She held out a finger to let it land and play the message. The head captain's voice rang in her ears.

"I have to go to a captain's meeting. Your brother woke up and he'll be there. Sorry, that means you can't go," she informed Yuzu and turned to leave. "I almost forgot. Put this bracelet on. It will change your hair colour in case Ichigo sees you," she added and handed her a black bracelet.

Yuzu took it and strapped it to her right wrist, then examined her hair, mouth dropping. "Whoah cool! I always wanted to see what it would be like to have black hair like Karin!" she exclaimed.

Soifon smirked. "You're welcome, and stay out of sight," she ordered and flash stepped away.

* * *

Ichigo looked up towards a building with a large label for one on the roof. It took quite a time to find the way to this building, especially with the Seireitei capital being a hundred miles across and the captains being experts at hiding their spiritual pressure. Fortunately, the direction of Kenpachi's moving pressure guided him.

To his surprise, his Hollow spirit spoke. 'With your ability to sense spirit energy I'm surprised you found the captain commander at all.' His other spirit laughed and giggled.

Ichigo grumbled as he stepped towards the entrance. As he entered, a blue-purple glow pulsed from his Wakizashi. He paused, gl. 'Hey Tensa, everything okay?'

No response, but she gave off waves of amusement.

He shrugged and continued into the lobby; no one was there yet, except for Soifon standing at the other end of the lobby. Her usual outfit was different.

She peeked at him and turned to him. "I'm surprised you're not late," she called. "You usually have difficulty sensing spirit energy. Perhaps someone guided you here?"

Ichigo scowled—even Soifon could tease him now. Sometime he'd need to put him foot down and assert some dominance or he'd never get any respect.

As she walked over her unusual outfit became clear. "Wh-What the he—" he stuttered as he took in her form, blushing a bright red. "What the hell?! Why are you wearing that?!" he said, voice rising in pitch.

She wore a see-through dress much like his blue-haired spirit, except a version much like her captains' Haori tied together with many laces—long, frilly laces that highlighted her gentle curves and tight physique.

Soifon raised her eyebrow, tilting her head. "What the hell are you talking about? Is there something wrong with my Haori?" she asked and took off the outer layer of her dress, examining it, leaving only lace tied to her thighs, arms and stomach. She looked it over twice and scowled.

"Why did you do that?! What's wrong with everyone?!" Ichigo yelled, adverting his eyes from her slender, naked body. She was quite muscular but still smooth and appealing. Her breasts weren't as large but still perky. His eyes trailed down to her lower lips and a quiet high-pitched noise escaped his mouth. His body heated up, more blood pooling into his waist.

Soifon shook out her dress and held it out to him, stepping closer. "There's nothing wrong with my outfit, fool," she said, taking another step to within a meter of him. "This is a freshly washed uniform I changed into earlier so I know theres nothing wrong with it,." She scowled and closed the distance to a few inches. "I suggest you take a closer look before you insult a woman's clothing." She narrowed her eyes.

Ichigo's face burned in a rage of fire as she leaned into touching distance. He took a step back, but tripped on a ledge, landing on his behind. His buttocks thumped onto the dusty corner of the room.

Soifon took another step. "Well? What is wrong with my clothing?!"

"N-Nothing! Your clothing is fine!" he squeaked out, and darted his gaze around the room, searching for witnesses of her clothing. Somehow Soifon also became like Rukia and his perverted spirit, though Rukia wasn't nearly as bad.

"Then what is you're problem?!" she yelled and inched forward.

Her lower lips almost touched his face. Blood gushed into his skull as he leaned forward, unable to resist the lure of her womanhood, unable to fend off the assault of her scented, tropical perfume.

'Oh I didn't know you could be so forward Ichigo. Why aren't you more like that with me?' his spirit said from his mind, snapping him out of the trance.

He jolted back and shuffled along the polished wood. "What the hell is happening?!"

Then Soifon backed a few steps, shooting him a quizzical look. "Are you okay? Did you hit your head?"

Ichigo merely kept starring at her in lust, embarrassment and confusion.

She clicked her fingers twice in front of his face. "Kurosaki?" She waved, and put a hand on her hip, highlighting her perfection. "Should I call for captain Unohana?"

Multiple footsteps echoed across the wood accompanied by the familiar texture of suppressed spiritual pressure. Ukitake and Kyoraku approached with amused expressions at the corner of his eye. He twisted his neck to the newcomers and pointed at Soifon, not able to find his voice.

"Hello Ichigo," Ukitake said and nudged Kyoraku.

"Greetings, what do we have here?" Kyoraku said and lifted his hat.

"Did you somehow lose your balance on these flat floorboards?" Ukitake asked with a smile.

"Perhaps he just felt like sitting down. He might have been waiting all morning for all we know." Kyoraku added with a chuckle.

The light banter brought Ichigo out of his shock just enough to be able to talk again. "You two! Do you see what she's wearing?!" he demanded and jabbed his pointing finger towards Soifon. Ukitake raised a white eyebrow, and they looked in her direction.

Ukitake scratched and titled his head. "A captain's Haori and a uniform of the stealth force?"

"A fashion statement?" Kyoraku said with a goofy look, smiling at Soifon

"What?! She's completely n-" Ichigo yelled but stopped as his gaze shifted over to her again. He rubbed both of his eyes and took in her form again. She was indeed wearing her stealth squad uniform and haori — was she having him on?

"I'm completely what?" Soifon said, crossing her arms.

"What the hell is happening?!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. The three captains shared a couple of looks, and glanced back at Ichigo, flashing tightened lips and brows of worry.

Just as Ichigo was about to further demand answers, his vision blacked out.

He shook his head as his vision cleared, to the sight of his blue-haired spirit rolling on the ground in uncontrollable glee. Her light laughter vibrated through the inner world, bouncing back from the trees like a choir of her silvery voice. There was power laced in the music—a power Ichigo's couldn't quite grasp.

Then It clicked. He scowled, eye twitching. "You!" he roared.

She stopped rolling and looked up at him with a grin. "Me?"

He tackled and pinned to the ground. "What the hell was that?! That was not funny!"

"I'm sure it was, didn't you hear how much I laughed?"

He growled, pushing more of his weight onto her. She didn't seem to resist. "Soifon will be very pissed off at me if she ever finds out dammit!" he shouted and shook her shoulders.

"Oh take me Ichigo! Release your pent up desires and do me as roughly as you can!"

"ARRRHHHH! I'm being serious!" he roared again. If this ever got out, he'd be in real trouble with the women of the Seireitei. The social customs they had in soul society hadn't been clear to him either; but it appeared similar to that of old-Japan.

"Oh don't worry. I have the powers of the Hogyoku remember," she said, patting his arm.

"And what does that have to do with this?!"

"Soifon's almost as pent up as you are—she likes the attention."

He kept pinning her to the ground. "That's not an excuse for what happened!"

"In fact… I'd say that she wouldn't mind getting a lot more intimate with you and her lady Yoruichi… if you said the right things…"

"ARRHH" he yelled in frustration, and threw up his hands as he got off her. "Dammit I give up. If anyone ever finds out you've got a lot of explaining to do!"

For half a second, his spirit blanked. Then she smiled more widely than Ichigo had seen her smile so far. "Oh? Of course I'm willing to come out and explain Ichigooo."

"W-Wai" he scoffed but was back in the first division lobby after a quick flash, lying on the floor. The captains all stood there, watching him, except Unohana, Mayuri and Toshiro. It didn't matter, but the hell butterfly did say all captains were to attend— and the old head captain was strict on these matters. They could just be late. Ichigo shrugged and sat up.

"Phew… You gave us quite the scare there Ichigo. Mind telling us what happened? If you remember of course," Ukitake said.

"Perhaps he just needs a good fight," Kenpachi offered with a wide grin.

"Now now, lets not be hasty again. What if he really did hit his head?" Kyoraku added.

"Tch, What a weakling."

Ichigo couldn't tell them what really happened. He paused and considered what to say. Lying wasn't his forte—he had to admit, but he couldn't tell them the truth or Soifon would have his head, and then all the other girls would brand him a pervert like Keigo.

"Well?" Soifon asked, tapping her fingers on the hilt of her Zanpukto.

Ichigo's spirit materialised next to Soifon in a swirl of indigo and black spirit energy. All the captains tensed and reached for their weapons as Tensa whispered into her ear.

Ichigo gulped as ice prickled his bones. He'd be more than dead now.

His spirit finished, emitted a blue-purple pulse onto Soifon, and dematerialised with a wink.

Soifon blinked twice and patted her body for a couple of seconds. She took a few breaths as her expression changed from surprise to shock to anger with a large blush. She snarled and barred her teeth at Ichigo. He gulped again and avoided her burning eyes. Everyone else had confused and alarmed faces.

"Well… Aren't you going to explain?" Soifon said darkly and hardened her jaw.

Ichigo stood and rubbed his head. "Well— that was— one of my new Zanpukto spirits you see," he began. Soifon narrowed her eyes as he swallowed. "She's quite eccentric with people," he said and chuckled.

"Like hell she is you pervert! I hope you got a good look because you won't be having those eyes for long!" Soifon yelled and threatened with a gesture of her fist.

Everyone else stood in silence, seemingly stunned and shocked by the development. Ichigo stepped back and tried putting on his best apologetic smile. "Look… this is just a huge misunder—"

"She explained very clearly," Soifon interrupted. "I know everything."

Ichigo started sweating and took another step back.

An old voice cut through the lobby before he could say anything. "If you're all done out there, then we can get this meeting started," the old head captain suggested from the other room. All the captains put on embarrassed expressions, walked through the door, and stood in two lines.

However, Soifon still glared at him, and paused beside him before also going in. "She said you're quite the woman pleaser— despite the prude act you put on. That's all it it better be if you want to keep a certain appendage, you pervert," she whispered and continued on her way.

"W-wha-bu-" Ichigo stuttered and reached towards her.

This couldn't be happening. Everything of his reputation was falling apart.

"We are waiting, Ichigo Kurosaki," Yamamoto called to him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Well are you going to come in?!" Soifon shouted from the meeting room, radiating waves of dark vibes at Ichigo.

Seeing her like that unnerved him, for all the wrong reasons. He entered, measuring each step, and stood at the end of the two lines of three captains. A red tint glossed over the many white coats. Ruby walls boxed in the room, and a white altar sat at the end; resembling a marble throne. The old head captain opened an eye before banging his staff on the floorboards.

"This meeting has been called to order," he announced. "Captains Unohana, Hitsugaya and Kurotsuchi are unavailable to attend due to their—commitments." He looked to Ukitake and gestured with his free hand. "Were Isshin— Kurosaki, Yoruichi Shihoin, and Kisuke Urahara unable to attend?"

Ichigo's head jerked back when the old captain asked for his wacko dad. Seeing Goat-chin standing in the lines of captains was like a scene from a comedy show back in the living world.

Soifon straightened. "I believe lady Yoruichi went to look after— one of my advanced students for me head captain. She is progressing well."

Everyone glanced at her, some smiling and others shifting fractions of an inch. Ichigo's brow wrinkled as the awkward silence continued for several seconds.

Ukitake broke the tension with a chuckle. "I think Kisuke and Isshin are on their way as we speak. They went to get the Haori."

"The Haori?" Ichigo asked.

"The Haori," he answered, smiling.

Ichigo had enough. His fuse shorten by many inches after being tied up yesterday. "My crazy old man is here? I'm assuming I'm also here because theres still more to discuss right? And why's everyone so nervous about Soifon's subordinate?" he asked in his best calm voice. Experience told him the head captain was both somehow patient and irritable at the same time. Ichigo perked up as another thought bounced forth. "Wait! if my dad is here then who's looking after my sisters?!"

Everyone stared at him with blank faces. Only the head captain spoke. "Captain Hitsugaya is currently stationed in karakura town, for routine hollow patrol, and to look after your household while your father is here to visit. He already has much experience with Karakura town and your family. Your father specifically requested him to go."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Goat-chin knew Toshiro?"

"Goat-chin?"

"I believe that's what he calls Isshin," Kyoraku said. "That goatee does make him look like one, I have to admit."

"Hmmm," the head captain murmured, stroking his beard. "Your father did indeed know captain Hitsugaya well."

"But he's only a kid, how can he— "

"He's lived for several decades, if you recall how Soul Reapers age," Buyakuya interjected.

"But he still looks— "

"You have to admit he's extremely mature," Ukitake said.

Ichigo scratched his head, scowling. Something was up—something was definitely up with these lot of Soul Reapers. But his father was apart of it—somehow—so Ichigo shrugged, brushing it off. He could completely trust his old man at least. He resigned to the head captain's explanation and grumbled. "Yeah whatever, he better not get them into trouble."

The head captain grunted in response. Byakuya remained cool with closed eyes. He didn't wear his ridiculous hair clips either. Kenpachi's face and stance was blank; probably his way of hiding information like everyone else.

"So, what happened earlier with Soifon?" Kyoraku changed the subject.

Ichigo's neck stiffened. "Nothing," he shot back, swiveling his eyes left and right. The captains still had blank faces, except Soifon, who narrowed her eyes.

"Did you hit on her or what?"

"No!"

Soifon growled and stepped forward. "That pervert certainly did!" she yelled into the meeting. "Do you know the powers of his new Zanpukto?!"

"It does nothing!" Ichigo said, gesturing with open palms.

Soifon shot him a glare and continued. "It takes the powers of the Hogyoku, and lets him manifest his sick, twisted fanta-"

Ichigo flashed stepped and covered her mouth, cutting her off in a muffle. "Wait let me explain! that's not true— I'm not a per-" he said, but then Soifon elbowed him in the stomach, flaring her spiritual pressure. He coughed out a wheeze.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, though she leaned to his head and brought her lips to his ear. Ichigo gulped. "What the hell is wrong with you? You're fucking insatiable. Did you not get enough of my body earlier? Touch my chest one more time and there will be dire consequences," she whispered and stepped back.

A silvery laugh echoed from the depths of his mind. Ichigo mentally groaned. This couldn't be happening; his reputation would be ruined at this rate, though, a fountain of glee simmered in his core. He shook his head and clamped it down.

Kyoraku chuckled. "So that's what happened to the Hogyoku." He shared a look with the head captain, then turned back to face Ichigo. "And you use those powers to seduce women?"

A squirm nearly escaped Ichigo's mouth as he stared down the pink captain.

Everyone else in the room looked to him curiously. Even the old captain had an eye open. Soifon gave him a low snarl.

"W-Wha— Guys I-its not what it loo—" Ichigo stuttered, but darted his eyes to the side as Tensa swirled into existence. She wore an even more revealing see-through dress. Worst of all, a black collar gripped her neck, attached to a long leash that materialised in his hand. "Oh yes, My master can be very demandi—"

Ichigo slapped his hand over her mouth while trying to cover her, holding her body against his own. "Guys! Don't listen to her!"

"Oh master! You're so rough! I thought last night would have satisfied you!" she chirped from under his hand. He tightened his grip over her mouth, ignoring the rising heat on his face. She wriggled in his grip, and moaned a couple of times too.

He just stood there with his naked Zanpukto spirit in his arms, speechless, horrified. The last grains of his reputation and persona washed away as a few of the captains smiled and chuckled.

Soifon gaped with raised eyebrows but soon glared again. A drop of sweat rolled off his chin as he swallowed.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," Byakuya said with a hard voice. "Stay away from my sister."

"W-What I wasn't doi-"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes, tendons in his neck tightening. "You know what I mean."

"Wha—"

"That's no way to treat a woman…" Kenpachi threatened.

Ichigo blinked twice. The captains whipped their heads to the usually maniac captain.

"Uhh Kenpachi? Are you feeling alright?" Ichigo asked.

"Ah I'm just messing with ya. Do whatever you want, I don't care if you're a pervert. I just care if you can still put up a fight." He declared with a huge grin.

Ichigo's eyes twitched. "ARHHH I am not a pervert!" His spirit remained squirming in his arms, and thrust her body against his a couple of times. Hot blood rushed to his waist, inflating his Hakama against her groin. Luckily, his new Shihakshou wasn't just sleek, it flowed with black fabric in the pants department.

The head captain banged his walking stick, grinning faintly. "Ichigo Kurosaki," he said, opening both eyes half way "What you do with your own Zanpukto spirit is up to you, but I will ask you to please refrain from doing the same to Captain Soifon during this meeting."

"I wasn't going to do anything!" he said with a red-hot blush painted over his cheeks.

"You already did do something, pervert," Soifon said, balling a fist. "If you were anyone else, you'd be—"

"Whoah there, no need to be hasty," Kyoraku said, chuckling. "He's just a teenager remember… They have certain— needs."

"I'm not that kind of man!" Ichigo bellowed. "Nothing happened with Soifon! It was a big misunderstanding and that's final!"

"You're still a couple of years short of being a man," Soifon said, cracking a smirk.

Ichigo's eye twitched as the captains toiled in his misery, laughing, chuckling, smirking. At least his spirit remained quite now, sleeping in his embrace, breathing in shallow breaths through his fingers every few seconds. The act would have worked—if she wasn't grinning against his palm.

"If that's out of he way then let's proceed to the purpo-" the head captain said.

Ukitake 's communicator beeped. He picked out a silver piece of metal out of his pocket, tapped it twice, and lifted it to his ear, listening for half a minute. "Sorry for the interruption, but it looks like Isshin and Kisuke just arrived back in the Seireitei. They should be here any second now. Perhaps we should wait till they arrive," he said and put his phone away.

The old heal captain sighed and grunted in agreement.

Ichigo's heart thumped.

Urahara and Goat-chin.

Another thump.

Two spiritual pressures approached the building in the far distance.

Thump.

His teeth chattered. If Goat-chin and Urahara saw his spirit in his arms, he'd never hear the end of it. They were the biggest, craziest perverts he knew. It would crude comments and dirty remarks for countless years. Every morning wake-up call would be a kick and mention of his spirit. 'Tensa! dematerialise now I'm begging you dammit!' he yelled in his mind.

'Oh you don't know how to dematerialise me? No wonder you're still feeling me up,' she replied with a giggle, not dematerialising.

Ichigo Ignored his blush and tried again. This called for drastic measures. 'If you dematerialise now… I'll— I'll d-do wha—whate-ver you wa-want.'

'Oh? You know exactly what I want Ichigoo…' She teased across their mental link.

Ichigo swallowed and pulled her closer to his body, covering the sight of what he'd about to do.

She raised an eyebrow.

He hesitantly jerked his hand to her chest and massaged her bosom while gently pinching her nipple. With his other shaky hand, he slid down to her groin and stroked her lower lips. He played with her little nub, and inserted a finger into her entrance to prove his point. It felt incredible. Fire surged in his head, core, and waist. 'Is this enough?'

She smirked and gestured to the left.

Soifon stared with her mouth agape. Ichigo inwardly groaned, mentally punching himself for forgetting how close she stood ever since he flash stepped to her. Barely four or five inches of wood distanced her from his display, and that was enough for her to see everything—every last detail of what he just did, and enjoyed. Her gaze traveled to the hidden bulge of his Hakama and a red gloss coated her cheeks.

Ichigo almsot cried as his scowling mask cracked. His reputation was in ruins now.

His blue haired sword spirit fired an intense pulse of blue-purple energy through her raised hand. Soifon gasped and hunched over.

'Wh-What the hell did you do to her?' He spat out across the link.

"See you later, Soifon… Ichigo will be expecting you," she whispered, waving goodbye as she dematerialised. He gulped as Soifon regained composure with several deep breaths. She jerked her head to him, and devoured him with deep, gray eyes. Her slanted features were animal like, especially when she looked at him like that. 'Soifon? Are you okay?' he mouthed.

'I'm fine,' she mouthed back, and licked her lips.

'Right, just please don't tell anyone, please don't tell anyone,' he mouthed to her with a begging, red face. She merely turned to look forward, scowling, blushing.

"Why did you make her go away? She was cute. Don't tell me you're going to make Soifon wear that now," Kyoraku teased from under his hat.

To Ichigo's surprise, he didn't appear to have noticed what just happen to Soifon. Nobody in the room did; they all stood there with bored faces, glancing at his exchange with Kyoraku. Either they all just turned a blind eye, or his damn spirit just did something again. He didn't know whether to be thankful or livid.

"I'm not making anyone wear anything," he said, playing along with everyone's apparent obliviousness.

Kyoraku flashed a smile. "Alright… whatever you say."

Ichigo scowled. Kyoraku wasn't as perverted as those two—maybe he would actually keep his mouth shut. Someone had to be on his side around here. Kyroaku seemed to be that type of guy. "That was just a big misunderstanding… I'll explain later when my old man and Urahara aren't around," Ichigo said, emphasising the latter of his explanation.

Kyoraku chuckled and pulled his hat lower. Ukitake also smiled, but the other captains all remained bored, staring off into the crimson walls without a hint that they heard his plea. Ichigo examined Komamura for the first time since entering the room. Strangely, he hadn't said a word yet—but that could just be his personality, though, his wolf features hinted a small grin like the head captain's.

And Soifon looked to be in pain.

Footsteps echoed across the wooden floors before he could nudge her and ask what was wrong. Ichigo shuffled away from her and took steady breaths, calming the rising thumps in his chest.

Urahara and Ichigo's old man walked in one after the other and took places at the end of the lines. Urahara looked just as usual: scruffy chin, messy hair, and a tattered outfit accompanied his stripy hat and cane-sword. Ichigo's jaw dropped as his gaze shifted to his old man. Goat-chin wore a captain's Haori—not his ripped Haori he tied around his shoulder, but a full, sleeveless Haori, marking him as a captain. Captain of the tenth squad.

"Wh-When did you become a captain?!" Ichigo demanded, pointing a finger. Then his thoughts jumped to his sisters. Was Toshiro going to look after them for good?

* * *

Karin panted after dodging another slash from Toshiro. He wasn't going easy on her, but he clearly wasn't enjoying it either with that scowl. He obviously didn't want to hurt her, but it was something they both agreed they had to do—if she ever wanted to develop her abilities. She pestered him every day to train her since her Quincy powers awakened. It seemed like a good idea since he was supposed to be as as strong as a captain—at the time.

Toshiro disappeared in a blur of flash step and thrust his blade at her stomach.

She leapt to the side, dodging by half an inch.

Then before she could react, he appeared to the right, slashing with an uppercut, face blank. Though his jaw was hard.

She barely blocked the strike with her Reishi bow, nearly dropping it as her bones shook from the vibration. That wasn't something she imagined when they first started training. She watched Ichigo train in the Dojo years ago, always steady and strong when he took blow after blow. It must have been because he was a guy—greater upper body strength and all that.

Toshiro waited as her bow stopped shaking. She took the opportunity, dashing to the side with her bow drawn and firing several arrows. The Reishi string left sharp indents on her fingers, millimeters from drawing blood.

He merely raised his blade and deflected every arrow in a flurry of flicks, not even moving his wrist more than a few inches.

She changed her angle and fired more arrows. He didn't respond as the arrows zeroed in. For a second her heart sank.

He vanished before the arrows made contact, and she let out a breath.

Pain shot up her back. She winced, hunching over as hot blood ran down the top of her shoulder. Even now, she still wasn't used to being wounded, and he said these weren't even serious cuts—mere scratches she had to get used to. She'd be damned if mere scratches bled so much. The thought of a serious wounded made her queasy.

However, it was fine. He would heal her after every training session. And then it would start all over again the next day.

"You should be able to use Hirenkyaku by now," Toshiro said, lowering his blade. "Your spirit energy should be high enough to be able to according to what Ishida said." He added.

Karin pulled out the Quincy manual Uryu made for her and flipped to the Hirenkyaku section. She skipped several paragraphs until a line caught her attention, printed in a classy, curved font. Typical Uryu. He's more of a girl than a guy sometimes, especially with that sewing club of his. He even made her a Quincy outfit when she told him what happened.

'Gather the Reishi under your feet and push it through a flow in a direction you want to move. Refer to section 3 on ways to manipulate reishi.'

She closed her eyes and concentrated on Reishi in the air. It was difficult at first—the tiny flecks of glistening particles radiated barely any spirit energy, and her own senses weren't that sharp. She couldn't instinctively manipulate Reishi either, which Uryu found strange for some reason he didn't elaborate on. The only time things went her way was during moments of mortal danger; like when her powers awakened. Drawing a bow and forming arrows was simple, but that was about it.

Small light-blue disks of Reishi formed under her feet after half a minute, and lifted her into the air by a couple of inches. She focused on the Reishi of the disks, and channeled a flow, guiding the dense plates of Reishi with a stream of her own spirit energy. Her reserves took a hit and she shot forward.

The world spun as she propelled several meters past Toshiro, then crashing into the ground with a spin.

The world kept spinning for many moments. Urahara's underground desert blurred into a fuzz of blue and light brown.

She took several breaths as everything stopped moving.

Toshiro sauntered over with a bottle of water in hand. "Thanks Shiro," she said, taking the bottle. She drank while he held out his glowing hands, healing the cuts on her arms, legs, and back. The sensation was unlike anything she felt before becoming a Quincy. Nothing could describe it, nothing could compare to instantaneous relief of several wounds closing up and healing to perfection within a second. "Thanks," she said again, putting on her best smile for him.

He also slipped her a small grin, but looked down with sad eyes. "You're improving," he said, and swallowed. "Slowly, though, if any hollows appeared you still won't last long."

"Well duh, that's why we're training," she said, nudging his shoulder. He could be such a downy sometimes, like last month, when those Menos grande— she cut off the memory before she also turned into downy.

"Also I get a bit worried each time you're hurt," he said in a small voice.

Karin would have sighed, but that would just make him more upset like usual. It was starting to get tiring to deal with, but everyone had their flaws. Everyone, including ridiculously strong kid-like Soul Reapers. "Dont be like that, you're not as bad as the hollows."

He finished his healing Kido, sealing up the remainder of scuffs and scratches on her hands. "Yeah, just don't tell your brother about this… ever," he reminded her like every time they trained.

Karin scoffed. "If you keep saying that I might accidentally say it when I see him again," she teased and ruffled his white hair. It was fun to tease him; he put on the best displays when she did something like that.

But apparently not this time, because he just blinked and scowled, kind of like Ichigo. Toshiro scowled as much as Ichigo—they were alike in that sense, except Toshiro had a much more gentler side.

"So how's my spiritual pressure doin-"

Toshiro's communicator beeped. He snatched it off the bench in an instant, as if it was the most important thing ever.

Karin's irritation flared. Another pack of hollows probably. They were coming more often now, ever since Ichigo was taken to Soul Society for everyone's good. An uneasy suspicion rose in her stomach. She shook it off; the two couldn't be related, though, Ichigo did attract trouble like honey in a forest.

Several moments passed as Toshiro fiddled with his shiny touchscreen phone, keying in commands and relays for whatever business he usually received. Karin shifted as he kept typing. It was hard to not worry—he looked to be around her own age, twelve or thirteen at most, not the many decades he claimed to be. she'd worry every time, but he'd always arrive back at the house or training ground without a scratch.

"Your brother woke up," he said and pocketed his communicator. "And he's at the captains' meeting. You'll be able to talk to him soon."

Karin's eyes widened. Urahara was right. It did take three months. If he was right about that then he was probably right about— right about Ichigo having to stay in soul society. She jolted straight as another another thought hit her. Yuzu would be in Karakura town again very soon, if everything went to plan. "Yuzu!" she chirped.

Toshiro huffed. "I hope captain Shiba doesn't say anything."

Karin smirked. "Don't worry Shiro, I'll protect you if he finds out what you've been doing with me," she teased and kissed him on the cheek.

He blushed as usual. The hues of red stood out like fine chocolate against his pale skin and white hair. He'd need to work on that, if he wanted more respect from people.

"Let's keep training. I'm good now," she said as his blush settled.

* * *

An intense fire of pleasure burned in Soifon's core, incinerating her loins in bursts of lustful flame, devouring every last drop of reason. All she wanted, all she desired was the sexy redhead standing two meters away from her.

She breathed, but it was no use. Her loins twitched in anticipation for the meeting to end, so she could track him down and—

She breathed again, and stared ahead, keeping her composure with a scowl—if that was even possible. Her entire body simmered in lust, for the ruby wall did nothing to help calm her. Why couldn't it be a cool sapphire or dull gray? She grimaced, and twitched a neck muscle. It was all her fault—the pervert's ridiculously beautiful Zanpukto spirit. Something already felt different when she emitted that blue pulse onto her back in the lobby. Now it was unbearable—that sick pervert would pay. But before that, she'd make him quench the fire even if she had to tie him down and pull out his hard c—

She scowled even harder.

Isshin Shiba waved his arms and made overt gestures while explaining his past as a captain to his son, the pervert, standing next to her; the pervert with strong muscular arms. His sleeveless Shihakshou wasn't helping with modesty either. And she had to admit, his new outfit suited him. The fabric flowed with grace, yet highlighted his masculinity, and the matte black overcoat gave off a certain deadliness.

"And thats how I was captain of squad ten with little Toshiro as my third seat! By the way, I sent him to look after our mansion while I came to be here for my son and to look after his squad for a while!" Shiba finished with a goofy grin.

Soifon's eye twitched as she burned. How was that idiot the pervert's father? They were too different. Ichigo was strong, caring, protective, handsome— and he was nothing but a sick pervert. She repeated it to herself twice, forcing it to sink in as wet lust licked her loins.

"We don't have a mansion!" Ichigo yelled, pointing and glaring. Pointing with his smooth, muscular arm. Scowling with his sharp face, strong jaw, and long orange hair—longer than what it was during the war. The new look made him even more sexy than usual. Her womanhood trembled, leaking more warm juices.

"What are you talking about my son! I built a mansion just for you—"

Ichigo slammed his foot into his face, without any care that that Shiba was his father, surprising Soifon to an extend. She shrugged it off, because in retrospect the Shibas were quite the eccentric lot. The only normal member of that clan would be the deceased Kaien—if her memory was right.

Shiba slid across the wood, but managed to mumble the rest of that sentence. "Just for you and my third daughter Rukia."

Soifon nearly jumped back. Third daughter? Ichigo was engaged to Kuchiki? Impossible. Something like that would be the hot gossip of the Seireitei for years. Hero of the Soul Society engaged to the Kuchiki princess. The women's association would have a field day—or year—with the amount of content to put out and profit from. It had to be just Shiba's eccentricity.

"We're just friends," Ichigo choked, losing composure. He blinked, and collected himself back into his neutral scowl when everyone glanced at him.

Soifon narrowed her eyes. So something was happening between them, or… Kuchiki was another victim of his sick powers. Lady Yoruichi would need to be warned before his rampage devoured her sacred body. Images of a naked, steamy Yoruichi flashed across her eyes, igniting sparks of electricity.

The head captain struck the floor with his sealed Zanpukto again. "Now that everyone is here, lets not waste more time with this nonsense— even if it is amusing," he said with an near unnoticeable smirk.

Soifon furrowed her brow, not sure what to make of his recent change in demeanor. The head captain she knew for over a hundred years would never say anything was amusing, or even show a sense of humor. He changed recently, ever since the war ended and Ichigo was brought to Soul Society.

How much did that pervert change the soul society? Everything was in flux, all thanks to the actions of one cute teenage guy. Another wave of fire surged through her body.

"That would be for the best," Ukitake said, smiling like usual. "Ichigo, as you recall from my explanation yesterday, you were taken to the Soul Society for the safety of the living word. It would be unlikely you'll ever be able to return without adversely affecting those around you."

The entire room paused. Soifon shifted, chilled by the deathly silence despite the raging fire between her legs. She didn't dare take another clear look at him, or she'd lose control the next second.

Ichigo eventually took a breath and responded, shoulders dropping, tone sombre. "Yeah… I thought as much. When I accepted the Hogyoku's offer to keep my Soul Reaper powers, I thought I wouldn't be able to be near normal people anymore."

The room relaxed, and Soifon looked down. He sacrificed everything for their sake. Ice seeped through her heart—sadness for him—though it didn't help with the fire pulsing through her blood.

He spoke again, cheering up somewhat. "But I'd like to be able to talk to my friends and sisters though. Maybe you could give me one of those limiters that captains get and I could visit them for a few hours every now and then or maybe give us those cell phones you use?"

Soifon cocked her head. That was unusually logical of him, as if he were maturing into a man, or someone to be respected. He is one of the most powerful Soul Reapers in history after all. Yes, he'd be feared, honored, and deeply respected in time. He'd be the sexiest man in Society. Heat erupted up her neck, flaring through her checks and ears.

"You already have one right now, just look on your chest," Ukitake said, pointing to his chest. Soifon didn't dare even peek. "Even with it, you're currently at the level of a captain unfortunately."

Sounds of Ichigo pulling open his Shihakshsou came from the end of the lines. Soifon swallowed as images of his muscled, hard chest entered her mind. Gods, she'd consume a body like that, devourer it with her hands, mouth, and thighs. It would be a night to remember.

"As for your sisters and friends we'll set up a permanent communication link with video so you can always talk."

The head captain nodded his agreement.

"Thanks Ukitake. Guess we'll be seeing each other for quite a while now eh?" Ichigo's warm voice echoed through the room. Soifon shuddered in pleasure.

"Guess so," Kyoraku said, and Ukitake smiled. Kuchiki and Komamura didn't give much of a response, but nodded a fraction.

The head captain banged the floor with his cane again. "Ichigo Kurosaki. Step foward," he said and held out his hand to Shiba and Urahara.

Ichigo did as he was asked after a pause, however, he now stood in her view of the head captain. It took everything in her not to tackle him to the ground, and rip his clothes off, and take his hard— She scowled darkly at him. That pervert was definitely going to suffer, right after having a fill of his— She mentally roared, and punched away the offending thoughts.

"Oh right, nearly forgot—that old monk made us answer one hell of a riddle just to get this," Shiba mused and handed over a neatly folded haori—a white Haori. The cloth was exactly same as Soifon's captain's Haori, but lined with fancy weaves along the edges. It looked silkier too.

The head captain took it, merely giving Shiba a nod, then turned to Ichigo again, face blank. Soifon glared as more waves of lust lashed at her. He was a sexy pervert even with his back turned to her.

"For your many deeds that has greatly aided not only soul society but the realms of existence, you have gained the notice of the soul king and royal guard," The head captain said and paused.

Soifon stared with a tight jaw—royal guard? If there was one, then they were no where to be seen during the war. Aizen nearly won too, and Karakura would be a ghost-town by now if it weren't for… for Ichigo and his heroics.

"As a reward and compensation for losing your life in the world of the living, you have been offered a position as a captain in the royal guard. This position is special—you will be the only member of the royal guard stationed in the soul society," he said and offered Ichigo the haori.

The room dropped to deafening silence.

Soifon's eyes widened even further. What the flying fuck? If Ichigo accepted, he'd technically outrank her. Unacceptable, to say the least. She pinched her lips, held her tongue, and looked away before either the outrage or fire ate all reason.

Kyoraku broke the silence. "That's not the only reason. The display we put on in fake karakura town was quite shameful to be honest. Guess this is their way of making sure no one comes that close again. Ol' man Yama just doesn't want to admit it."

The mood lightened somewhat, and the head captain grumbled in response.

Ichigo took the Haori minutes later without a word, and shook it loose, examining the silky fabric inch by inch. A strange, square symbol stood out on the back of the coat, unlike any official marking Soifon's ever seen. "Wow this thing is pretty thick… I bet I'd get hot while wearing this," he mused and took off his Shihakshou and undershirt, then put the outer Shihakshou back on along with the Haori.

Peeking at his chiseled chest was just too difficult to resist. She jerked towards him, involuntarily.

Ichigo turned around. "How do I look?" he asked everyone with a grin and looked over his shoulder. "Oh Gramps, I accept by the way. This thing is better than that badge at least."

Everyone froze when he mentioned the badge, and Ukitake visibly swallowed. "About that badge, Ichigo…" he said.

Ichigo cut him off with a wave. "Yeah its fine, after all the times no one recognised it, I figured it wasn't what you said it was. Whatever it did must have been important. I trust you guys that much at least."

Everyone relaxed and Ukitake smiled again.

Soifon's gaze trailed to his muscular chest. He didn't tie up his Shihakshou all the way. She took in every inch with mesmerised eyes, imagining herself lathering her hands and body against those hard abs, nearly tackling him to the ground right there. "Head captain! I believe I should get back to my advanced student! I wouldn't want to burden Lady Yoruichi with my duty!" she choked out and flash stepped out of the building.

* * *

It was a long day. Ichigo sighed and sat by the Koi pond in the first division gardens, unwinding in the pleasant squares of greenery. They didn't even have chairs in that meeting room—his feet were reduced to bloody stumps. "Damn old geezer and his no chair policy," he muttered.

'Want me to come out and help you relax?' Tensa asked from his mind.

Ichigo blushed and ignored her, which seemed to be the most effective way to deal with her sexual comments. He had to, otherwise he'd be acting like that soon, and that would be disaster.

'Hmph! I'll just have to make my end of the deal that much worse!"

He silently groaned, throwing his head back.

'You are completely dead now,' his Hollow spirit goaded.

Ichigo swallowed and did his best to brush them off. He breathed a mouthful of cool air, watching the goldfish swim through the pond, and replayed the events of the meeting to himself. A lot happened.

Apparently, the royal guard was a secret organisation, residing in a sealed off space somewhere in the Soul Society. Ichigo would be the only public member, and it was thanks their leader—some old monk—that the captains managed to help control his transformation yesterday, explaining the Daisho pair he now has.

He scowled at the goldfish. The captains also wanted him to train under them—according to the them, he merely brute forced his way through the war. There were several minutes of laughter when he mentioned he cut himself with his swords. He outright glared at the goldfish. They looked a lot like the captains, if he angled his head just right. The one with the long whiskers and narrow eyes could be the head captain.

The goldfish seemingly noticed his glares and backed away. He inwardly groaned. They interrogated him for a good hour about Soifon, and her abrupt departure. Luckily, his old man and Urahara didn't catch on, despite Kyoraku's risque suggestions about her unease after his spirit dematerialised. That was all Ichigo's fault of course. He'd need to find her later and apologise.

He exhaled, and continued with the rest of the meeting. At least he didn't have to take orders from the geezers at central 46 or even head captain Yamamoto. Another goldfish swam away from him. He cocked his head. If he ever screws up, he would be in deep shit; he'd have serious explaining to do, and might even piss off the royal guard leader. But he was a reasonable guy, according to Yamamoto.

The sound of a flash step echoed behind him, and the angry voice of Soifon blasted through the empty garden. "There you are, you fucking pervert!"

Ichigo jumped and twisted around. "S-Soi-Fon let me explai-" he stuttered in rising pitch.

"Shut the fuck up you pervert. you're going to fix this… right now," she said and threw ball of white cloth at his face. She strutted up to him with narrowed eyes.

He shook out the wet cloth. blood nearly burst out of his nose. He held her panties, wreaking of musk and perfume.

"And don't worry, I'm wearing another pair. They're completely soaked too," She whispered, and licked his ear.

He shivered at the warm, wet contact. Then she closed the distance, and started feeling his body, trailing closer to his waist.

Another voice rang through the clearing. "Ichigo you big headed pervert! Brother said they made you a captain of the roya-" Rukia yelled but stopped as her eyes darted to Soifon.

Ichigo gulped. He was more dead than he ever had been in his life. Before he could open his mouth, his blue-haired spirit materialised between the three, wearing only lace. She flashed a grin and engulfed Soifon and Rukia in spirit energy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **A/N This short chapter will be all lemon — it's pretty graphic so you can skip it if you want. Ichigo will be less** prude **by the end of it. Summary at the end**

A flood of white light flashed into the sky as the gardens morphed into the inside of a house. Ichigo stood in the center of a plain bedroom, decorate with wooden floorboards and patterned, white wallpaper. Several black-kitten dolls and plushies sat on shelves and a massive bed. The stuffed animals stared at him with angled, yellow eyes… much like Yoruichi.

He blinked in realisation. They're all Yoruichi dolls; every single of them. This is Soifon's house.

His heart thudded as Soifon collapsed onto him, gasping, sweating heavy droplets. Rukia bent over onto her knees, holding herself upright with the palm of her hands.

Tensa smiled, strutted over to him, and patted his shoulder. "If you resist any of this Ichigo, I'm going to tell everyone of your little secret," she threatened, licking her lips and placing a hand on her hip. "So which one of us would you like first?"

A thump echoed through his chest. Which one he would like first? No one, he was desperate to say, but he already made a deal with the blue-haired devil. He growled and stared her down, not giving in just yet.

"Ichigo," Soifon whispered into his chest. "What the fuck did you do?"

"Nothing! It was all her," he said, still staring at his spirit, and started peeking at her lace-covered, oiled body.

She ran her hands down her front, gyrating her hips in an erotic dance. "By that look, should I take it as you'd like me for starters?"

"N-No!"

His Hakama bulged as he ogled on her oiled form, but yelped as sharp nails dug into his chest. His eyes darted downward—Soifon stared up to him with gleaming, gray eyes. A low growl escaped her lips as she began pulling open his Shihakshou and Haori. "I'm first!"

Ichigo swallowed. "Sofoin! I'm sure we can—"

She tackled him onto the bed, pulled off the rest of his clothing, and grabbed his hardening manhood, stroking it. "Shut it!," she snapped, stroking harder with each word. "Not bad, for a sixteen year old," she said as he fully hardened.

A light moan escaped his lips; it couldn't be helped. Her soft, slender fingers caressed his shaft, pumping jolts of bliss through his body every second. How could he be enjoying this? Something so wrong, yet so good. And Rukia's here too. He peeked at her—she still had her head down, panting, dripping sweat onto the polished wood.

Soifon punched his arm, stroking harder. "Over here, pervert!"

"Wait, don't do—"

"Cut out the act you fucking pervert! You're going to be a man even if I have to fuck it out of you!" she spat out and ripped off her stealth uniform in one swipe. She straddled him, pressed herself tight against his waist, and humped him rhythmically. Her soaked panties were the only thing stopping him from entering her, stopping him from having his first time with someone he barely knew.

Her soft, wet curves clutched him in a sensual embrace, fondling his penis. Back and forth, side to side as she humped and twisted her hips against him.

His entire body heated in a fiery frenzy as he watched her move back and forth. Her breasts jiggled on each thrust and beads of sweat rolled down her glistening skin. She began moaning in pleasure as he hardened even more. "W-Wai—"

His blue haired spirit slapped her hand over his mouth. "No resisting, no complaining and you're definitely not allowed to go soft till I say so," she whispered into his ear.

Ichigo scowled and cursed—he had no choice now. It was either that or be humiliated at the hands of the soul reapers. He inwardly groaned.

His blue haired spirit fired a pulse of blue-purple spirit energy at his hard member.

Ichigo took a sharp gasp under her hand as shockwaves of pleasure shot up his cock, causing it to throb and harden even more. Soifon moaned even louder and palmed his muscly chest to support herself.

"Are you ready, pervert?" she asked with a moan and kept thrusting herself against him. Her wet lower lips caressed his entire length as she rubbed herself against him, her soaked panties felt nonexistent as it stuck to her womanhood. She pulled her panties to the side, revealing her mesmerising treasure. Her perfect lower lips shined in a red puff and parted as the tip of his crown entered her.

"ICHIGO!" Rukia yelled out and flash stepped onto the bed. His blue haired spirit fired concentrated purple-white energy at her as she landed. Rukia's Shihakshou and underclothes disintegrated around her, revealing her petite, pale body. She flung her arms around Soifon and tried to pry her off him.

Ichigo opened his mouth to call out to her but his blue haired spirit stopped him with a look. "One word and everyone will know."

"Wait your turn Kuchiki!" Soifon barked at her and thrust down onto him. She took his entire length while rubbing her clit and let out a very loud, long moan. "OOOAHH! FUCK ME YOU PERVERT!" she yelled at him as her warm, wet, soft inner walls engulfed his entire cock. Ichigo's jaw dropped and eyes shot wide open as time slowed in an ocean of bliss.

"FINE!" Rukia suddenly yelled out. She let got of Soifon, spread her legs and threw herself on Ichigo's wide open mouth. "Lick it you idiot strawberry pervert!" She commanded.

Her wet pussy dripped warmed juices onto him as a scent of musk and pine perfume assaulted him. Ichigo let out a high pitched squeak as Soifon bounced on his shaft and Rukia rolled her loins on his lips.

"FUCK ME! NOW!"

"LICK IT!"

His blue haired spirit nudged him and gave him a devious smile. Ichigo swallowed and slowly began doing as he was told. He thrust his hips into Soifon's as she bounced on him and ran his tongue over Rukia's flower. Waves of endless fire and pleasure coursed through him as Soifon's inner walls took hold over his cock with each thrust. Rukia and Soifon both moaned and yelped as he slowly increased his speed.

"YES MORE YES GOD YES!" they both shouted in a chorus of lust.

He kept it up as he took hold of soifon's hips and started fucking her harder. "OOH ICHIGO! YOU PERVERT!" she screamed as her inner walls tightened around his cock in spasms and released small squirts of her fluid. A stab of fire and pleasure built up in his core. He let out a long moan as he devoured Rukia's lower lips and nub. An explosion of fiery heat thundered through his body — but to his surprise the build up didn't release. Soifon slightly slacked as she held onto him for support and gasped for air.

"Out of the way captain, Strawberry is mine." Rukia spat out and pushed Soifon off him. She positioned herself over his waist and slowly began to thurst her smaller flower against his throbbing erection. She looked into his eyes with her sapphire orbs with a lustful smile. "Are you ready Ichigo? Ive waited a long time for this." She said is a quiet voice.

Ichigo couldn't take the burning build up of pleasure and fire any longer. He quickly nodded and thrust his cock into her entrance. She was tighter than Soifon, her soft warm walls strangled his erection sent a wave of lightning through his body.

"RUKIA!" he yelled out as he began thrusting and slapping his hips against her. It was finally happening, he was in absolute bliss. He let out everything he was surpressing and gave it to her.

"ICHIGO! YES FUCK ME SILLY." She begged and held onto his muscly center for support.

At the corner of his eye, his blue haired spirit tackled a panting Soifon and pinned her down. She moved her lips to Soifon's womanhood and viciously devoured it in a fury of lust while squeezing her clit.

"OOOOOAHHHHHH MOOORRE!" Soifon roared into the room. She threw herself at his spirit, they tangled together with their pussies at each other's mouths. They grabbed each other's clit with one hand, nipple with the other and began licking each other out in a tangle of moans.

Ichigo devoured the sight with hungry eyes. It couldn't be possible — that wasn't happening over there — but it was. Something in him snapped as he took hold of Rukia's thighs and sat up into a kneeling position. Rukia's eyes widened. "YES ICHIGO! FUCK ME AS HARD AS YOU CAN!" She commanded.

He merely growled in response and roughly held her against him. If thats what she wanted then he would gladly oblige.

He threw one of her legs over his shoulder and slammed his entire length into her entrance. They both let out long moans of ecstasy as he pulled out and mercilessly slammed his cock back into her. For a minute he pounded her with everything he had, squeezed her small breast and pinched her clit. He kept nailing her in an endless eruption of lust.

"I—CHI—GO!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as her tight pussy spasmed against his throbbing cock for several moments. The buildup of fire piled even further as Ichigo kept banging against her climax. She went limp against him as he kept it up.

He still couldn't release his load. He growled and shouted at his blue haired spirit and Soifon. "YOU TWO! GET OVER HERE!"

"Oh yes master! Anything for you!" his spirit said and dragged herself along with Soifon to his position.

"You're insatiable!" Soifon snapped.

Ichigo merely ignored her and grabbed her thighs and spread her legs. He rammed his cock into her hypnotic pussy as hard as he could. She let out loud moans and squeals as he gave her everything he had over—and over. He thrusted his throbbing member continuously for minutes as his sword spirit and Rukia watched with lustful expressions. They started fingering themselves with small moans.

"OOOAAAAAHH! OAH! YOU — PER—VERT!" Soifon gasped out.

She climaxed again with another series of spasms around his still hard cock. It wasn't enough. He let out a dark growl and proceeded to his beautiful Zanpukto spirit.

"Are you finally ready, master?" She slyly teased. Ichigo glared darkly at her. His infuriating Zanpukto was going to get it now.

He dived at her and threw both her legs over his shoulders and fucked her harder than anything had with before. "Tensa Zangetsu! You wanted it now you will have to deal with what you've unleashed!" He growled out at her. He took her breasts and squeezed them as hard as he could. He pounded her with all his might for several minutes as Soifon and Rukia watched with eyes wide and mouths agape.

"YES YES YES MASTER I'M FINALLY GOING TO COME!" she yelled lustfully and sent a shot of spirit energy at his cock through her pussy. Ichigo gasped with wide eyes. He was about to release everything.

"SOIFON! RUKIA GET OVER HERE!" he roared at them with unimaginable lust coursing through him.

They glared at him and grudgingly moved to him.

"Pervert!"

"idiot!"

His blue haired spirit spasmed in waves as she climaxed. Ichigo took in a huge breath of air as he felt it finally come to him. He pulled out of her and sprayed everything onto the three of them, covering them with his sticky white cum.

"OOoooohhh yes!" Ichigo moaned out as he released his load onto them and arced his head back in pleasure.

He did a double take as his eye moved across the doorway. Endless fear rose up from his heart as his member slumped. Soifon and Rukia noticed his face and also spun around instantly.

"Oooops forgot to tell you a minute ago," his sword spirit chirped out and dematerialised.

In the doorway stood none other than Yoruichi with wide eyes, mouth agape and massive blush coating her cheeks. Ichigo swallowed with infinite dread.

Now he was dead.

* * *

 **Summary: Ichigo has a four-way with his spirit,** Rukia **and Soifon. Yoruichi walks in at the end, speechless.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Across the rooftops of the Seireitei, the sky and clouds were set ablaze in an orange-red inferno as the sun descended over the horizon—the perfect distraction for Soifon to ignore the jabs of Lady Yoruichi. She could think clearly now—whatever the pervert's Zanpukto did to her mostly wore off. Only a dull echo of lust remained.

"So you and Ichigo eh? He is quite the looker I guess," Lady Yoruichi said as they hopped towards the second division.

Soifon fixed her gaze, staring into the dying sun, ignoring the constant teasing ever since they left her house. Flash stepping and balancing on the roofs didn't help drown out the comments, or even tax her stamina in the slightest. Jumping from tile to arch over and over was second nature.

"Are you two boyfriend-girlfriend now? Or would that be girlfriend, girlfriend, boyfriend?"

A tick formed on Soifon's forehead—the orange haired pervert will pay with blood. Images of the last hour flashed across her eyes, painting the scene of her shame. Image after image. Images of her riding that pervert, images of him pounding her. She blushed and focused on the relaxing pace.

"I think you still have some of it in your hair."

That comment did it. Soifon hissed, stopping to check her short locks of black hair for any residue. She combed through every handful, running her fingers through every few strands, feeling for any stickiness or matted hair. She shuddered, praying she wouldn't find any stray globules.

After a minute, every strand turned out to be clean. Yoruichi was just having her on, like usual of course. Soifon sighed as laughter rang through the air. A very, very long month would pass till she'd hear the of this. She sighed again and continued on their way.

"So should I stay clear of your house from now on in case you're having another orgy with Ichig—"

"Lady Yoruichi!" Soifon interrupted, face burning.

"Gotcha little bee!"

"You didn't get me! That was completely inappropriate!"

She wagged an eyebrow. "Like what you did twenty minutes ago?"

Soifon growled and turned in faster flash steps. Lady Yoruichi appeared by her side, keeping up to within a few meters of her. Soifon wouldn't be able to outrun her even on good days, and that would be when Yoruichi's hung-over or tired from a mission. That was, and still is, the difference between her and lady Yoruichi—a gap she trained to close everyday, and every night.

"So you like it when Ichigo sprays hi—"

Soifon spun around, heels digging into rotted wood. "Yoruichi!"

"That's my name," she said, smiling.

Soifon glowered, and took a breath. "He is nothing but a pervert."

"Oh? You didn't deny it. It must have tasted ver—"

"Lady Yoruichi!" Soifon roared, never as embarrassed in her entire life. That pervert will die. Slowly. Painfully.

"What about Rukia? Don't you realise you're starting to steal her Ichigo?"

Soifon narrowed her eyes, and stitched her mouth shut. Rukia was of the Kuchiki clan—a member of the four great clans—and there'd be a blood feud if what happened leaked to the public. That's all assuming she eventually admits her feelings for that pervert, and courts him. But after today, that would most likely be the case. They'd be inseparable once it's official. It would be best for Soifon, and everyone else, if this whole incident just dropped. So she huffed, and turned to flash step again.

"Alright, alright I get it," Lady Yoruichi said, palming her hip, then putting her serious face on. "You don't want to talk about how much you enjoyed it, But you have to admit that he's quite the catch, despite being how much of a pervert he turned out to be. You two have similar personalities too."

Soifon glared at her and resumed flash stepping, though, what she said was true, even if it was obvious as hell. A war hero was a catch; a war hero who succeeded where the head captain failed. Ichigo would be the perfect suitor if he learned how to behave more like a noble, but that wouldn't happen any time soon.

If only he wasn't such a damn pervert.

But she slept with a hero—a sexy, handsome, kind…

She shoved away the dangerous trains of thought. "Firstly! I did not enjoy it! His Zanpukto drugged me into doing his sick desires!" she yelled into the wind.

"Oh really? I thought the powers of the Hogyoku were to help one to achieve their inner desires, am I to assume you wanted to fuck Ichi—"

"Secondly! Even if he is a catch that doesn't excuse him for being a damn pervert!"

"So you admit he's a catch then."

Soifon growled, broiling in bubbles of frustration. Despite how great her mentor was, she was one of the most infuriating people. Though, Soifon did bring it on herself this time—no, it was still that pervert's fault.

But nothing could be done now, and he was too powerful to punish with a thrashing. So she changed the subject, hoping Yoruichi would also let it drop. "Where's Yuzu, I thought you were looking after her."

"She's fine, having dinner and watching some new movie from the world of the living. She asked about Ichigo so I went to check. One thing led to another and it turns out you were having one hell of a sex party with him," she said, laughing again.

Soifon's eye twitched. Unable to take it anymore, she flashed stepped at maximum speed before Yoruichi could fire another jab at her. The sky blurred into a haze of amber and mauve for many seconds as she vaulted towards the second division. Within half a minute, she arrived at the living quarters they arranged for Yuzu. They gave her a lavish building with it's own bathroom, garden, entertainment room and kitchen. Fit for any noble of the great houses.

She entered before lady Yoruichi could say anything again. Yuzu indeed sat in the entertainment room, watching a projection of a science fiction movie. In her hand, a popular, new dish sat and wafted copious amounts of steam, saturating the entire room with it's fragrance. Soifon took a deep breath, letting the delicious scent fill her airways. The aroma washed away the previous frustration of the journey.

"Hey Yuzu!" Lady Yoruichi greeted. "Ichigo is fine, he was just having some fun with my little bee here."

Soifon pinched her lips, not daring to say anything in these dangerous waters. A single slip of her tongue would result in decades of pain and stigma. Yuzu was the talkative type too—the entire women's association would hear of it.

Yuzu perked up and twisted around. "Thanks for checking, though, what were you having fun doing Soifon? There doesn't seem much here Ichigo would like."

A wide grin spread across lady Yoruichi's face. "Why don't you give us a first person recount? I'd love to hear more of the details."

Soifon just stood there, blankly, frozen as the ship of the conversation steered further into abyss. She swallowed. "We-We were testing out some of Ichigo's new abilities. Having a quick game of tag you know?"

"I thought you two were going at it much harder than that…" Lady Yoruichi added.

Soifon blushed and shook her head. "Of course not, Ichigo just woke up after all. He probably still isn't in a condition to be pushed."

"Well thats strange, I could have sworn you two were doing something that thrusts you two right into things."

"Wha-Wha," Soifon stuttered, jaw dropping.

Thankfully, Yuzu didn't catch on; she looked at them back and forth, blinking every couple of seconds. "Well it's good that Ichigo is enjoying himself with you."

Lady Yoruichi burst into laughter as Soifon's blush rose. If she ever saw that pervert again, he'd get what's coming to him. At least his sister was innocent—one less person who could figure out what happened, and one less person who could tease her about what happened.

Yuzu kept staring, frowning now, but perked up again. "Oh right, I made some of that new dish everyone loves in the Seireitei. Theres lots in the slow cooker."

Thanking Yuzu for the change of subject with a small smile, Soifon nodded and turned to the kitchen. Hunger tugged at her stomach now that she thought about eating. Several hours passed since she last ate—again, all because of Ichigo. Ever since running out of the captain's meeting, she was desperate to quench the burning fire of lust—nothing worked. She grimaced. The pervert's powers of the Hogyoku would be dangerous to all women in the Seireitei.

"Get me some too," Lady Yoruichi called after her. "I'm pretty hungry."

"Right, me too," Soifon confirmed.

"I'll keep Yuzu entertained with stories of your adventures," Lady Yoruichi called as she entered the shiny, white kitchen.

Brushing off her remark, Soifon poured two bowls, and took a sip—her mouth watered. She wolfed down the bowl, poured another one, then walked back to the entertainment room.

Lady Yoruichi noticed her and adopted a sly grin. "Was Ichigo in there? Already going back for more?" she teased and gestured to her mouth.

Soifon touched her lips, brushing against the creamy soup dotted around her mouth, still warm. She wiped it off in an instant, flustering at the mistake. Lady Yoruichi's laugh filled the room as Yuzu glanced over from her movie. "Ichigo's in there? I thought you said I wasn't supposed to see him. Its part of the plan right?"

Soifon inwardly groaned, having to lie to her again. "He's not, Lady Yoruichi was just teasing about a time Ichigo accidentally threw mud all over my fa—"

Her communicator beeped the emergency tune. 'This is the patrol unit. We are requesting immediate backup, a Garganta opened up, and hundreds of hollows are pouring through. Rukongai north district one.'

For twenty seconds, Soifon thought over the many possibilities of the alert, standing still, furrowing her brow. The hollows had attacked more often nowadays, for two and a half months now. Captain Kurotsuchi hadn't come up with any explanations yet, or possible solutions to deter the mass attacks, apart from his trip to Hueco Mundo for investigation, which led to inconclusive information of an irregular increase of Hollow activity.

"This is the the captain speaking," Soifon spoke into the communicator. "I am near the north gate, and will be there momentarily," she said and waved her goodbye, then turned to leave.

Lady Yoruichi stopped her with a warm hand on her shoulder. "I think this would be some great time to give Yuzu some field experience."

The suggestion hammered a spike of outrage through Soifon's chest, lined with deep worry. Bringing Yuzu to the attack would be a large risk, endangering her life life that. Usually academy students wouldn't receive field experience until their third year, and Yuzu barely started her training.

Yoruichi hardened her eyes, crossing her arms. Soifon caved under the weight of her stare, not able to argue back. And she had to admit, it would be an excellent opportunity to gauge Yuzu's potential. "Fine."

Yuzu paled and put down her bowl. "You mean real hollows like the ones my brother fights? Is my dad or Ichigo going to be there?" she asked with a little voice.

Yoruichi nudged Soifon, signaling her to answer. She had to be hard with Yuzu like lady Yoruichi was with her own training. "Ichigo won't be there, usually its procedure to send no more than one captain for small incidents like this. Your dad is working to help set up the new royal guard division in the Seireitei as well as look after squad 10."

"Don't worry we'll both be there," Yoruichi added, rubbing Yuzu's arm. "They're just low level hollows, right Soifon?"

"Right, we'll let you handle a few. Nothing bad should happen—I won't let it," Soifon said as her stomach sank. She shook off the tremor, because she had to stay composed, or Yuzu would lose it as well.

Mentally growling, she slapped herself. What the hell was wrong? A captain shouldn't be worried about small-fry Hollows. She'd be a shameful display if the other captains were present. "Yuzu," she said, steel in her voice. "This is part of being a Soul Reaper. You can do it."

Yuzu swallowed the rest of her soup, then stood and snatched up her Asauchi. "Alright. Let's go then… If it means getting back to Karin, and seeing Ichigo again faster."

Soifon scowled, took her hand, and left the compound in a series of flash steps along with lady Yoruichi.

* * *

Rukia strolled down a tree-lined road along her grumbling Ichigo, kicking dried leaves along the paved walkway. The boiling lust remained only as a dull itch—she forced him to make his Zanpukto cancel out the effects after she satisfied him earlier, along with captain Soifon. She exhaled, still finding the situation bothersome, and she had every right to be bothered. Sharing him with his own spirit was one thing, but another person? The Kuchiki clan would freak, and she'd rather die a hot death than let Soifon have him.

Batting away the worrying thoughts, she turned to her moping strawberry. "Don't you think it was nice of Yoruichi to keep a perverted strawberry's secret?" she said, and glanced at the remaining distance to the Kuchiki manor.

Still a few hundred meters away—just enough to kick Ichigo into shape. Her brother expected Ichigo and her for dinner, since he had been formally invited to stay at the compound until he found somewhere else in the Seireitei. The Rukongai was out of the question till he learns to control his power. Any low-class Soul Reaper or normal soul would be crushed within seconds.

And Ichigo didn't know how to dine in a noble house… Rukia smirked, expecting an entertaining dinner, but right now, she had work to do.

He still grumbled, barely keeping pace with her lithe steps.

She poked his ribs, and nudged his arm. "What was that strawberry? I couldn't hear your perverted mouth."

"I'm not a pervert!" he said, scowling under his longer orange bangs. The new look suited him, she had to admit, but she'd never say that aloud. It'd go right to his big head.

"Oh really? What was that I heard earlier?" she asked, nudging him again, prodding his smooth, stone-like arms. It was like tapping a slab of Sekkiseki rock.

"Nothing," he mumbled, looking away.

This was bad; worse than the time he struggled with his inner Hollow. She'd need to do something quick, something insane. Either his despair will give it away at the dinner, or the lateness of their arrival will.

Revising her acting lessons, she put on her best playful expression. "Tensa Zangetsu! You wanted it now you will have to deal with what you've unleashed!" she paraphrased as dramatically as she could. Though as she said that, a very real memory of the previous hour played before her eyes, and the pinprick of lust flared up her core.

"I didn't say that dammit!" he spat out, then grumbled some more. "That didn't happen!"

Rukia gave him a wide grin and tapped his shoulder. "So do I need to lock my room at night from now on or else you'll use your new powers on me again?"

He looked down, lips pinching tighter, eyes drooping a fraction.

Oops. Too far.

He peeked at her, and swallowed. Those brown eyes bore into her, as if seeping his gloom through the air.

Definitely too far. She exhaled. Looks like she'd have to do something insane, as usual, but what would slap him into shape this time? A kick to the side? Freeze him in a block of ice?

"Rukia…" he murmured. "I'm not going to hurt you… I'm not going to—"

Grimacing, she kicked him in the ribs with the highest concentration of her spirit energy she could muster. The impact jarred her ankle, sending a shockwave through her body. Her foot would bruise; she'd have to kido herself later. Fortunately, the surprise shifted his footing just enough that he had lost balance.

"GAH! What was that for you midget! I was just about to apologise!"

Raising an eyebrow, she planted a foot on his chest, not sure if he even knew how she felt about him. It was obvious, from her perspective. She just had sex with him for god sakes, and he still sank in his own clueless hole. How did he even function around women?

"You idiot, pervert strawberry…" she said, leaning down to look him in the eye. "Why do you think I'm even here with you right now?"

The seconds slipped away as he blanked, then his eyes shot wide.

"I—I'm not sure—"

"I'll spell it out for you," she said, sighing. "I. Like. You… A lot, got it? Just keep your inner pervert under control and we're good, listening?"

"Yeah," he said, and said nothing else.

Did she have to guide him with everything? She considered it, and arrived at the conclusion that he was really that thick when it came to women. He spent his entire life protecting his sisters, and drowning in his own torments. "Just be your normal self at the dinner, okay? You'll get used to talking to me in this new way too, eventually." Maybe in ten years, she wanted to add.

He nodded. "Rukia…" he trailed off, blushing, averting his gaze.

Adorable, yet pathetic at the same time. She'd really need to sort out his gloom before her Brother becomes suspicious. They were already five minutes late, and by Kuchiki standards, that'd be unacceptable.

She titled her head, assessing his features. His muscled chest suddenly stood out beneath his new sleek Shihakshou and Haori, way more fashionable than anything she wore. Perhaps a visit to the Kuchiki tailors would be required, but that didn't matter right now, because Ichigo still lay on the grass, sulking like Momo did after the war.

"Ichigo…" she began with a small voice. His chocolate eyes twitched back to her. "Don't think I'll be letting you do that to me whenever you feel like it!" she yelled, then delivered another kick to his ribs—another bruise to her foot. However, she bent down and nipped him on the lips before helping him up.

A slight blush coated his cheeks as he accepted her hand. He wasn't as prude as before—that blue-haired Zanpukto spirit definitely broke Rukia's strawberry. "Just don't tell my brother, or anyone for that matter!"

"You don't say, Midget," he mumbled, still looking down a fraction.

Still too obvious—way too obvious. Her brother would notice something for sure, then interrogate the hell out of her after the dinner. Then the elders might find out, and everything would go to shit. She needed to do something now, but her regular pep talk and kick to the side didn't work… What would cheer up a pervert?

"If you don't cut that out, then I will have no choice but to cheer you up," she said in her best seductive voice, and pulled him into the forest with a flash step.

"Rukia?"

"One second," she chirped, and and undid the top of her Shihakshou, revealing her petite breasts to him. She hadn't worn any underwear ever since his Zanpukto spirit disintegrated her clothing beforehand. Captain Soifon lent her a spare Shihakshou when they cleaned themselves of Ichigo's spray.

"Wh-What the hell?! I thought I undid the effects of Tensa!" he spat out without a blush on his face—definitely not a prude anymore.

"Oh you did," she said, and also stripped herself of her Hakama. "Too bad you're the worst actor I've ever met." She inched towards him, pushing her naked body against his granite form, then took his hand and stroked her vulva with his fingers.

He pushed her back, gently, breaking the contact. "Rukia, what are you doing?"

Putting a hand on her hip, she scowled and poked his stomach. "Are you going to snap out of it or am I going to have to please you till you're in a better mood before we meet brother for dinner?"

"Wait— what? This is about—"

"Of course it is idiot! I don't know how things work in the world of the living, but this is Soul Society. If people find out about this, we'd be humiliated."

He jerked back, eyebrows rising, stuttering something Rukia couldn't make out.

"Ichigo," she said, hardening her voice. "Honestly, I'm not that bothered about what happened." Because of after-effects of his Hogyoku powers, she wanted to add, but that'll just depress him further.

Swallowing, he nodded and broke contact again, almost like he was afraid of her body.

"So," she said, stepping into his embrace again. "Do I need to do this?"

"N-No I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Of course I am!"

Sighing, she stepped away and reached for her Shihakshou. "Then cut it out or you'll give us away!"

"Tch, fine," he said, and helped her dress. Rukia smirked. At least he got that right.

"What about Soifon?" he asked while tying up the back of her Hakama. "She'd be—"

"At a similar mind to myself," Rukia interrupted, lying again. She didn't know Soifon too well, but the Fon clan did serve the Shihoins, so some assumptions could be made.

"Fine," he said again, exhaling.

"Lets go, hurry," she said, then gulping as they flashed towards the Kuchiki compound. As they neared, more guards and loitering nobles came into view through the main gate and plaza. It was an extravagant compound; outer walls surrounded the entire area with guards posted at towers. Several plazas centered the outdoor areas, along with fields and ponds. Another section was walled off for Soul Reapers in the clan to train.

As they entered, several nobles and guards noticed Ichigo. Some bowed and others glanced at the symbol on his Haori. No one dared to approach, or say a word of greeting. They all stayed back, in near trembles from Ichigo's spiritual pressure. The shields they were given appeared to work—so far.

Meanwhile, her Ichigo sauntered a couple of feet from her side, scowling like usual—terrible acting, but was in character for him, and neither did he seem to notice the effect he had on the residents.

Her brother approached from the open doors of the main lobby. "Rukia. Captain Sh— Kurosaki." He narrowed his eyes at Ichigo. "I was wondering whether you two were going to show up. Perhaps you ran into some issues with the new zero division being set up?" he asked, voice stoic as ever.

Rukia took a breath. A single slip of a sentence could be fatal here. "No brother, captain Soifon and Yoruichi merely wanted to have a game of tag with Ichigo to test out his new speed," she lied cooly. Ichigo wouldn't be dumb enough to screw that up, hopefully.

"I see… Dinner is ready to be served, I welcome you into the kuchiki manor… captain kurosaki" he said and walked into the main building. She followed along with Ichigo trailing at her side.

"Yeah whatever, thanks Byakuya, I guess," Ichigo said, tilting his head. "And it's Ichigo, not that captain Kurosaki crap." Her brother didn't respond and kept walking. "Tch, still quite stuck up as usual."

Rukia grimaced, elbowing him in the ribs, then immediately regretted it—more healing Kido to do later.

They entered the dining room and walked to the seats along the long table. The room had been redecorated in a western style, mimicking something her brother saw in a documentary from the world of the living. Lieutenant Sasakibe approved when he visited, and commended her brother's recent change in taste. He changed—a lot—ever since Ichigo saved her from execution.

Ichigo twisted his head around the room as he sat next to Rukia. Her brother sat on the opposite side.

"What's with the room? Aren't we in old Japan or something?" Ichigo quipped as he made himself comfortable in the odd chair.

"Brother thought it would be an interesting change as the style of the rooms here hasn't changed in many centuries," Rukia answered, tone straining. Keeping up the Kuchiki mask with Ichigo here already proved difficult.

"Indeed, I hope it is to your likings," her brother added.

"Yeah it looks okay I guess," Ichigo said, scratching his head. His stomach rumbled, and he broke into a goofy smile. "So when are we going to start eating?"

Eye twitching, Rukia nearly kicked him. But at least he stopped moping around.

Her brother sighed. "I suppose right now would be appropriate." He signalled to the servant standing at the side of the room. She bowed and left to the kitchen, then returned in under a minute with with bowls and a steaming pot. A delicious aroma filled the room as she lifted the pot to the center of the table, then reached for the bowls to serve.

To Rukia's surprise, her brother spoke, waving off the servant. "We will be having this for starters. This is a new dish from the world of the living, a type of cream soup. It's very popular in the Sseireitei at the moment"

Furrowing her brow, Rukia opened her mouth to question her brother on the change of formality, but decided against it. The head of the table didn't announce the dishes, or even served in any occasion. Perhaps the casual tone was for Ichigo's sake, and his own as well, for it would be quite the difficult dinner thanks to Ichigo's inept dining experience.

She was about to get up to serve when Ichigo stopped her when a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I usually did this for my sisters anyway," he said and took the ladle.

She sunk back into the seat, shrugging, letting the development play out. Even he couldn't screw-up something like this with his clumsy hands. He scooped a few ladles of soup for himself and her brother. As he approached her, the ladle caught on pot handle, flinging a glob of warm soup into Rukia's face.

Her brother sighed, closed his eyes, and began drinking his soup as Rukia sat there, stunned.

"Rukia! Sorry sorry sorry sorry!"

"Gah! idiotmono!" she exclaimed and reached for her napkin, and noticed Ichigo looked at her with a strange expression, almost lustful. Then it clicked—a creamy, white goo covered her face. She blushed wiped herself off.

They drank in awkward silence thanks to that. Only quiet slurps of Ichigo drinking his soup could be heard as the servers arrived with plates of fish and bowls of rice. Another one came out with tea and salads. Her brother announced each dishes as they arrived, gesturing for Rukia to serve this time.

Ichigo commented on the food in between mouthfuls, and peeked at her every other minute. She ignored him and hoped her brother wouldn't notice, which he did. Every time Ichigo glanced at her, he narrowed his eyes and darkened his spiritual pressure.

"Wow that was good," Ichigo commented with another goofy smile.

"You're welcome," her brother said, finishing his cup of tea, then letting the servants clear the table. He waited for several seconds, and poured another cup. "Captai— Ichigo. The reason I invited you to dinner was twofold. The first was to show the hospitality of the Kuchiki clan and the second is to discuss your training."

Ichigo jolted straight, bumping the table. "Wait you guys were serious about that?! I thought you were just kidding about the training."

Rukia mouthed a silent groan.

"As we said. You have very poor control over your spirit energy and hence your spiritual pressure. Everyone at the estate had to be given spiritual pressure shields just because you are here." Her brother explained.

Glancing at the sweating servant, Ichigo scratched his head. "I didn't know it was that bad. Sorry about that."

"It is fine," her Brother answered and dismissed the servant with a wave. "You will begin Kido training with myself and control of your spirit energy with head captain Yamamoto. He is the only one with a magnitude of spiritual power even remotely similar to yours."

"Kido? Why do I need any of that? I thought with my spirit energy wasn't possible to produce any Kido," Ichigo interrupted, frowning. Rukia nearly kicked him. Explaining anything to him was impossible without tying him up.

Her brother continued. "Kido and control of your spirit energy are one and the same. If you master one you should be able to master the other. Learning both would be helpful in learning either."

Glowering, Ichigo mumbled with a husky voice. "Yeah I guess… Ganju told me a way to control my spirit energy… Maybe that would still work." He scratched his head and closed his eyes.

Her brother raised an eyebrow and Rukia's neck tightened. After several seconds, a dense, rising spiritual pressure piled down onto the dining table, weighing more than anything Rukia ever felt. "Ichigo!" she yelled. Unable to breath, she crashed into the table, splitting it in two.

"Stop at once!" her Brother shouted.

A flash of light burst from Ichigo's upper chest as his eyes snapped open—the Gentei rein must have broken. The pressure multiplied five fold as she her vision blacked out.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

'Imagine a circle as black and heavy as possible. Then imagine yourself falling into that circle'

That was the technique Gangu taught Ichigo several months ago. If reining in his spirit pressure would make Byakuya's servants more comfortable then it was a least worth a try. Closing his eyes, he frowned as he imagined the circle. He had developed better control over his spirit energy since then, so why not? He would stop the second he loses control like last time.

Two distinctive chuckles echoed within his inner mind. Ichigo ignored the tick forming on his forehead and threw himself into the black circle.

An endless torrent of his spirit energy surged through his body, deeper than the blackest sea. He squeezed the ocean as hard as he could. It didn't budge. The energy coursed through him in an unstoppable deluge.

His Hollow spirit broke his concentration, echoing a sharp voice through his mind. "You're still unobservant, Look around you!"

He snapped his eyes open. A sphere of destruction circled him, cutting several large cracks into the floorboards.

Rukia smashed into the dining table, breaking it into two jagged pieces. "Ichigo!"

"Stop at once!" Byakuya said, sweat running down his face.

"Shit! Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed, releasing the hold over his spirit energy.

"Gentei Rein!" Byakuya yelled and shot a dart of spirit energy at his chest. His inner reserves dropped, as if a dam blocked the flow of energy. The wall held, though it bulged and creaked under the mass of power.

Byakuya narrowed his eyes, wrinkling his nose. "That was most foolish. I advise you to not try anything so reckless until you get the proper instruction from head captain Yamamoto."

Ichigo huffed. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Breathing, Byakuya held up a palm. "No need, just be more careful. It is difficult to control such levels of energy."

Ichigo nodded, agreeing with the stuck-up noble for once. Though what he said was right; the new power Ichigo attained meant he'd be a danger to everyone around him. Swallowing, he reached out to Rukia's unconscious form. Her arm was twisted at an angle—his fault again. His fault she got hurt. His fault that he couldn't protect her, from himself.

"She'll be fine. It's nothing that minor healing kido won't fix." Byakuya said.

He was right of again. However, the next time he loses control over his power, she could be hurt far worse. Someone else could be hurt, or even killed. He'd need to start that training with the old head captain as soon as possible.

Tensa materialised next to Rukia, wearing the revealing Shihakshou.

Byakuya narrowed his eyes, and his hand twitching towards his Zanpukto.

"Tensa! This isn't the time!" Ichigo snapped at her.

"Oh don't worry you two. I'm just here to help," she said and washed Rukia in indigo spirit energy.

"Tensa! Wh-What the hell?!"

She hummed a tune in response, adding to his unease. If Byakuya found out about what happened he'd be dead, and restrained from seeing Rukia ever again. The thought of it twisted his stomach, sickening his core. It all started with Rukia, and for her to be taken from his life in an instant was painful to imagine… like when he accepted the true nature of the Final Getsuga Tenshou.

Rukia's arm snapped back into place, surprising him. Tensa healed her. She had that ability? He could heal people? That would be invaluable to learn; he'd be able to save lives on a battlefield one day.

Rukia groaned, but relaxed again as she fell asleep. It was a long day after all.

"See Ichigo, everything's fine. Now stop moping about or we'll have punish you again… if you know what I mean," Tensa teased, then gave him a quick kiss, a quick taste of her lips. He pulled her in and kissed her, forcefully, asserting his claim over her sweet mouth.

A cough interrupted the kiss, and he dropped to a fluster, unable to reason where that move came from.

"Don't you dare try anything like that with Rukia," Byakuya said, face grim.

Ichigo swallowed, blushing as images of the previous hour flashed through his eyes. His spirit giggled and opened her mouth. He stopped with a hand slapped over her lips. 'Don't say anything and I'll see you later,' he whispered, suggestion dripping off his tone.

She smirked and dematerialised with a wink.

Byakuya's hand twitched towards his Zanpukto again.

Ichigo gave him a goofy smile. "Ahh… sorry about the dining room. I guess I better get Rukia to her room." He picked up Rukia, trying hard to clamp down on his spiritual pressure. Thankfully, she didn't appear to be affected while asleep.

"See that you do," Byakuya said, tightening his jaw. "And keep your spirit energy under control."

"Yeah, you don't need to tell me," Ichigo mumbled. The lessons with the head captain seemed several times more important.

"Very well, her room is down the hall by yours. It has a bunny on it. You shouldn't miss it. Don't try anything," he warned and turned. "The captain commander will be expecting you tomorrow morning."

An idea sprung. "Hey Byakuya, can you teach me that Gentei Rein thing now? In case I need it before old gramps teaches me you know?" He couldn't let anymore slips happen around Rukia. Staying away from her would be for the best, but he didn't want that. And neither would she, if what she said before the dinner was honest.

"That would be most wise," Byakuya said, looking over his shoulder. "Meet in me in the training courtyard by the east wing, outside your room."

Ichigo left the dining room with Rukia in his arms. Several servants gave him glances but didn't comment. They seemed to be sweating less than that first servant. "Ah sorry guys," he said and picked up the pace through the Corridors.

Rukia's room did indeed have a Chappy on it—completely out of place. He entered and deadpanned when the sight hit him. Chappy merchandise sat everywhere—Chappy dolls, Chappy posters and Chappy stuffed animals. He settled her in her bed and left, however, a photo caught his eye. A photo of himself on her nightstand. It was a recent photo with his longer hair.

'See told ya she wanted it bad earlier. Your nearly got it again on the road too," Tensa commented, giggling from within his mind.

"Ichi-chi-go… har-der…" Rukia quietly moaned in her sleep.

Deciding to give her some privacy, he darted out of the room before heated lust grasped his body again.

He arrived with a flash step in a paved area, surrounded with a border of grass; large enough for light sparring but didn't look big enough for a skyscraper-sized Getsuga. He hadn't gotten the chance to test his new Shikai yet either, so that was out of the question.

Byakuya already stood on the other side with a stoic face. He raised his hand and started chanting. As he finished, a blue Kido barrier surrounded the courtyard. "To release the Gentei Rein, concentrate your spirit energy and pressure towards the symbol on your chest and mold it exactly to that shape—if you can even do that."

Ichigo did as he said, not bothering to comment on the lack of a greeting. After a minute of eye-twitching concentration, he managed to narrow down his power to the shape of the small crescent on the left side of his chest, centered over his heart. "Alright got it! Now what?"

"Imagine the limiter as some kind of wall or barrier that's pinning down the shape, and then imagine it barrier break or dissipate and shout out 'Gentei Kaijo'" Byakuya instructed in monotone, without a single gesture.

"What's with all the strange images and spirit energy control? Seems kinda strange," Ichigo quipped, nearly losing focus over the crescent.

"Just do it."

"Tch, fine." He closed his eyes, imagining a concrete dam holding back a wide river pouring out of the crescent. Within ten seconds, the dam cracked and collapsed under the torrent of water. "Gentei Kaijo!" he shouted. The black moon on his chest dissipated in a flash of light as his spirit pressure hammered down on the courtyard. Several cracks crawled their way across the barrier.

Byakuya hunched over, frowning, and took two deep breaths before regaining composure. His raised spiritual pressure pushed against Ichigo's, unable to even press in a dent. His pressure appeared minuscule—as if he became several times weaker since their battle on Sokyoku hill. "What happened Byakuya? Did you stop training or something?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself. You might cut yourself again," he said, face blank.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

He smirked. "Did you already forget, you told everyone at yesterday's captains' meeting."

"Wha—" Ichigo stuttered, then remembered the exact moment when he did just that.

Still smirking, Byakuya continued with the instruction. "Imagine the entirety of your power as some kind of dynamic body. Such as a lake or mass of fire. Simply concentrate on it and shout 'Gentei Rein'. Anyone should be able to do it. Those words are imbued to the spell so that almost no skill is required."

Ichigo grumbled, and did what he said. A lake sounded good, like the one in his inner world. But he couldn't even see the other side of it, and he'd never been to one in Japan either. He'd just have to use some imagination.

"Don't try using it in battle on someone," Bykuya said, interrupting his thought. "It's easily broken as you saw earlier. Anyone above the level of a captain could break it in a few seconds just by focusing their spirit energy."

Nodding, Ichigo continued forming a picture of a large body of water. "Got it!" he said as the imagine of a lake solidified in his mind, similar to the one in his inner world except much smaller. "Gentei Rein!" The moment those syllables left his mouth, the wall on his spirit energy clicked back into place and another black crescent flashed onto his chest.

"That didn't take as long as I thought it would. See you late—" Byakuya said, but his communicator beeped an urgent tune. 'This is patrol unit two. Hundreds of Hollows have appeared outside of the west gate. We require immediate assistance.' His brow furrowed, more than the situation called for.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "They're just regular Hollows right? Even Renji could take care of that." In fact, he hadn't ever seen Byakuya so worried about anything. Something must have had happened in the three months—something to do with the Hollows.

"Captain Soifon responded to a similar event at the north gate just before you and Rukia arrived. It's strange that two appearances happened on one day. That is all. Don't concern yourself. I'll take care of it quickly," He said in a rush of words, then spoke a reply into his communicator before flash stepping away. The barrier dissipated as he left.

"Yeah seeya Byakuya…" Ichigo mumbled, shrugging as he sauntered to his room.

'So is it later then?' Tensa asked.

He mentally nodded, hurrying his steps. She'd get it hard tonight, though he'd never say that aloud.

* * *

The roar of another Hollow rang across the treetops as it was purified by Soifon's blade. The Hollows still dashed through the Garganta, after twenty minutes of nonstop battling—a never ending torrent of beasts. She scowled, glaring at the black rip in space as they continued hopping out in groups. Knowing Hueco Mundo, there could be thousands coming through. At least no Gillians showed up—yet. That would put Yuzu in extreme danger.

Effortlessly cutting through crowds of Hollows in blurs of flash step, she glanced towards Yuzu—still fighting that horned Hollow they let her handle. Thankfully, Yuzu's flash step and spirit energy control was decent enough to make platforms and footholds in the air.

Yuzu received another glancing blow from it's horn, barely dodging a critical blow. Soifon's stomach clenched, nearly flash stepping in right then. But she held her feet. She had to—or Lady Yoruichi would have things to say.

"Oh relax, she's handling it just fine," she said, calling over from thirty meters away. "Can't you see her speed increased just from that little? She's gained more in twenty minutes than in a week." She punched through incoming Hollows without even looking, then roundhoused several more.

"Yeah, she's got her brother power. At least some of it" Soifon admitted but scowled as certain memories sprang to life in her mind. "—at least she's not a pervert like he is," she added and sliced through two Hollows that looked like twin eagles.

"Oh starting to get a little obsessed are we?" Lady Yoruichi said, much to Soifon's irritation. As usual, the never-ending train of teases resumed course as they flashed over to the first district. Yuzu didn't catch on then either. Yuzu who fought against a—

Soifon grimaced, shifting her attention back to Yuzu. A deep gash cut into the Hollow's torso; however, Yuzu clutched her bleeding sword arm, marred with several scratched. Clenching her jaw, Soifon knocked away the urge to jump in to help.

A chorus of roars and shrieks blew through the wind. Jerking her head back to the Garganta, the sight of several more waves of Hollows charged at her, charged at the gate. "Something's wrong—this is the first time this many have came!"

Lady Yoruichi didn't respond, but sent her a single nod. She kept punching through Hollows one by one. Soifon narrowed her eyes—Urahara had information after all.

Cutting through the incoming lines, Soifon's thoughts strayed in speculation. Captain Kurotsuchi was still in his lab all day trying to get some answers. Urahara wasn't helping—being his usual lazy self. Though knowing the real him, he knew the exact reason behind the mounting attacks, no doubt.

"How's Yuzu doing?"

Soifon spun around, focusing her eyes on the young protege. Yuzu's arms bled in thick streaks of blood, though still nothing too deep—a quick Kido would fix that. Surprisingly, the Hollow was no where to be seen. Yuzu did it after all. Soifon smirked, recalling a memory of her own training; similar to the current scene, except Yuzu and Soifon were in reversed roles compared to a hundred years ago with Lady Yoruichi.

A shout pulled her out of the memory. "Soifon!"

She spun back around, muscles tensing as she flinched. Two more identical Gargantas opened up next to the first, identical in size and pressure. Then thousands of Hollows began pouring out of the extra tunnels. She wouldn't be able to purify them all before some got to Yuzu—and her Shikai was only for single targets.

"Soifon! Do it!" Lady Yoruichi called from the other side. White spirit energy danced around her form.

"Shunko!" Soifon yelled out and directed shaped spirit energy for wind Kido into her body. White spirit energy and wind gales surrounded her, bursting forth from her arms and upper back. She charged at the oncoming Hollows, vaporising hundreds, shredding droves of beasts. Lady Yoruichi did similar with her lightning Shunko at the corner of her eye.

The waves of Hollows relentlessly charged. What were they after? It was complete suicide to attack the Seireitei. They couldn't even break the barrier. At first it appeared they targeted Rukongai citizens but soon became clear they focused the Sereitei wall, and Soifon's patrol was caught in the crossfire, barely saved when she arrived.

She shot several tornadoes into the horde as Lady Yoruichi mixed in streaks of lightning. The combined attack tore through the ranks, but didn't stop the advance.

They needed reinforcements. That pervert could kill them all in one attack—couldn't risk him seeing Yuzu though. The head captain stayed in the back lines as usual, and his Zanpukto would set the forest ablaze too. She roared in frustration, releasing more gales or razor wind.

But the advance continued, close to surrounding Soifon. Her gusts of wind and Lady Yoruichi's bolts of lightning weren't enough. She'd have to use her Bankai if reinforcements didn't show up. The Hollows merely hesitated for a second when she released a burst of concentrated spiritual pressure. Soifon blinked. Something like that would have eviscerated a normal Hollow, but apparently not enough to injure an army.

"Soifon! Get to Yuzu!" Yoruichi yelled to her.

Jolting straight, Soifon twisted towards Yuzu, alarm flaring though her chest. She completely forgot about Yuzu. How could she let herself do that? Coating herself in a buffer of sharp wind, she flash stepped towards Yuzu. The advance blocked her.

Shit.

Yuzu would die if she didn't do something. Her Asauchi shook in her hand, vibrating along with her pale face, staring down the incoming Hollows, close to surrounding her.

Soifon screamed, building up spirit energy, and unleashed an avalanche of wind at the advance, tearing through at least a thousand. It still wasn't enough. She had no choice now—no reinforcements in sight."BANKAI!" she shrieked and raised her spirit energy to her maximum. Lady Yoruichi glanced at her and flashed out of the way.

She aimed her missile at the center of the Gargantas and fired.

As the missile smoked towards the black rips, Soifon cut towards to Yuzu. Too late. The Hollows already surrounded her—and Yuzu didn't even try escaping. Strangely, her eyes were blank when the first Hollow flew to within a meter of her.

The missile detonated, flaring a shockwave across the treetops, obliterating most of the inner advance. Direct hit. If only Soifon didn't also lose balance in the recoil, flinging her further away from Yuzu.

Tumbling through the air, she glanced at over her shoulder.

Lady Yoruichi strayed too far, still fighting off the heavy trickle of straggling Hollows. And she wouldn't get to Yuzu in time anyway. Soifon scrambled, firing off pulses of spirit energy to regain momentum. Luckily, the Hollows also lost footing in the blast, but a few already regained composure, dashing at Yuzu again.

She still stood unmoving, blank , emotionless.

As Soifon hurried towards Yuzu in clumsy flash steps, the Hollows darted at Yuzu and her again.

A wavering groan escaped her throat. She'd be too late, for sure this time. Every last ace was used.

Nevertheless, she continued cutting through Hollows that blocked her path to Yuzu.

Yuzu blinked. Her Asauchi Glowed in brilliant light blue.

Soifon halted, paralyzed in shock from the sudden explosion of spiritual pressure, similar to captain Shiba's.

With swift cleaves, Yuzu shot two arcs of light-blue energy at the cloud of Hollows, disintegrating them on contact. The two moonfangs flew through the air, dissipating against the Sekkiseki barrier. Yuzu exhaled twice as blood dripped down her arms.

Soifon sighed in relief. She did it—just like her brother, she had progressed unimaginably in moments of danger. The head captain was right. Urahara was right. One day, she'd be a captain of the court guard squads.

However, for there to be multiple captain level fighters in a single family was unheard of, even in the great noble houses. Something was up with the Kurosakis.

A sharp spiritual pressure sliced through the air from behind, along with Yoruichi's frantic scream. "Soifon move! That one is fast!"

A mantis looking Hollow— no, Adjucha bloted at them in an incredible display of Sonido. Soifon's eyes widened as she dodged and parried several slashes from it's blade like arms.

Slash, parry, slash, stab. It was speed incarnate—as fast as Lady Yoruichi, impossible for an Adhuchja.

The bug-like Adjuchja halted it's assault, and phased out of existence in a loud buzz.

A pained shriek tore through the air.

Soifon spun around, gasping. The bug held Yuzu in a deathgrip, digging it's arm-blades into her abdomen and back.

"Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!" Soifon spat out.

Before the Adjucha could break free, Soifon landed two successive strikes with her Shikai and caught Yuzu. The Hollow disintegrated into nothingness, but it already had choked Yuzu to unconsciousness. Soifon trailed her gaze down to her wounds, wincing.

To her relief, no blood gushed from the wound, for a web of jagged blue veins covered the lacerations, holding skin and muscle together. Perhaps a Zanpukto ability?

Lady Yoruichi appeared next to her in a hum of flash step and heavy pants. "Sorry, there was still quite a few left coming through. I wasn't expecting one as fast as that. How's Yuzu?"

"Unconscious but alive. She's got quite the gash on her back and stomach," Soifon said, letting Yoruichi check the wounds. "But this vein ability is stemming the bloodloss. It might be an ability of her Zanpukto."

That would be the logical explanation; however, not a single Zanpukto existed with an ability of blood manipulation in history.

Lady Yoruichi stood silent for a minute. "I'll have to ask Kisuke and Isshin about that. It's strange it's surfacing. It might be a side effect of being exposed to the Hogyoku."

"What's surfacing?"

"Don't tell anyone," she said, dipping her head. "It's something she inherited from her mother. You'll have to talk to Isshin if you want to know more."

Soifon blinked. Inherited from her mother? A human? The only humans she knew with spiritual abilities were Ichigo's friends. So his mother was like them too apparently.

But why didn't they tell her about it when she was asked to train Yuzu? She looked at Lady Yoruichi, frowning, but let it drop after a moment—she trusted her with anything.

Though she Knew something about Yuzu's family—something important, something they kept secret. It must have been big enough for Shiba to desert his post as captain. His story did feel off when he gave an official report three months ago—as if he left out a small detail. The head captain also appeared to know, but kept tight-lipped as usual.

Lady Yoruichi waved in her face. "Soifon? Earth to little bee…"

She let her curiosity drop as her concern moved back to Yuzu. She went through one hell of an evening. "I'll take her to captain Unohana. Can you run ahead and check for Ichigo?"

"Sure… Just don't drop her," Lady Yoruichi quipped and flash stepped ahead.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Ichigo sat cross-legged in the middle of a dried lake on top of a rock formation—though not just an ordinary dry lake. Over a million litres of water hung over his head in a wobbling sphere, held together by his spiritual pressure. Yamamoto—as he'd asked Ichigo to call him as—said to compress the water until it begins to freeze, if that could even happen. It took everything he had to hold it up in the first place using the old man's technique. Worst of all, Ichigo wasn't allowed to release his Shikai.

"Yo gramps!" he snapped. "Are you sure this is even possible?! Ive been trying for three hours now!" They were here since before dawn thanks to a screaming hell butterfly, and it had taken an hour of travel just to arrive at the densest forests of the Seireitei.

"Do or do not. There is no try," Yamamoto said, meditating on the other sitting stone.

Ichigo blinked, losing focus, not expecting the head captain to make such a remark. The sphere of water lost shape, and crumbled down onto them. Yamamoto redirected the flow around the rock formation with a wave of his cane.

"Since when did you get a sense of humour?"

A smirk pulled at the old man's wrinkled skin. "I know not of what you are talking about. Try again."

"Right," Ichigo mumbled. Closing his eyes, he imagined an enormous triangle, representing his spiritual power, then a triangle connected to each face, and then more unending triangles connecting to every new face. Repeating the process till he saw thousands of multi-sized triangles, he arrived at a rather perfect looking snowflake. Yamamoto had said the shape was supposed to be a harmonic that allowed for fine-tuned control of spiritual power—if one had enough spirit energy in the first place.

He focused on pulling a slippery thread from each triangle point, representing small outlets of his spiritual pressure. Applying every trickle to the surface of an imaginary sphere, he enclosed the ball onto the lake. Outward-in, as Yamamoto had instructed. As he pushed from the outside edges towards a point above his head, the water gathered into another wobbling sphere.

"You are improving, slowly," Yamamoto said, then took a sip of tea. "As you gain better control over this technique, you should be able to subconsciously limit the number of triangles leaking spiritual pressure."

Ichigo nodded, agreeing with the assessment. Gathering the sphere became easier each time after he lost focus or tired from the strain. "Yeah, thanks by the way. I owe you a bunch for this."

"Think not of it. I can't let you accidentally injure my subordinates as you walk around the Seireitei."

"What do you mea—" Ichigo said, but let it drop, sighing. He had hurt Rukia by mistake yesterday after all, so Yamamoto's comment wasn't exactly wrong. He was dead right in fact.

"You are also the first born in a thousand years powerful enough for this technique."

Ichigo peeked a glance when he said that, letting his focus waver again. Thankfully, the sphere didn't collapse this time. "A thousand years?" Imagining that kind of a time span was nauseating. A multitude of wars, battles and significant events could take place in a thousand years.

"Indeed," he said, nodding. "Less than a handful can use their spiritual pressure to influence their surroundings on such a scale. It's satisfying to finally teach it again."

The sphere wobbled and dribbled onto him as he choked in surprise. Less than a handful. There was Yamamoto, himself, and… "Wait so if there are people as powerful as I am then where were they during the war!"

"They were at places of duty."

Tubfuls of water splashed onto the rock. "That makes no sense!"

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow, crinkling the scars on his forehead. "What was Aizen after? Do you still recall?"

"Are they the royal guard guys?" he asked after a minute.

"Indeed… You'll meet them in due time. Keep practicing until the water starts to freeze or at least keep still." He stood and folded away his bamboo tea set, then cleared his throat. "While you are at it, ponder this: What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, yet never in a thousand years?" He walked to the edge of the formation, scuffing his staff on the rock.

"Hey, Where are you going? And whats with the stupid riddle?!"

"I have a division to run."

"So you're going to leave? What if I drown while trying to figure it out?"

He chuckled, glancing back. "I doubt it, and as for the riddle, it will help with controlling your spirit energy while you're preoccupied—and it will also do your mental faculties some good."

He left in a whispering buzz.

Ichigo grumbled, scowling and twitching his eye—even the old head captain made fun of him. He took a deep breath, pondering the riddle while compressing the water as the sun rose from the horizon.

* * *

Soifon shifted her weight, tapping her fingers on her leg, waiting for Ichigo to arrive. Every captain waited in line for over an hour now, patient as ever. But even the patience of a captain had a limit. Some captain of the royal guard he was. What disrespect. He had his way with her yesterday, and now he's late to a captains' meeting. If he was anyone else, he'd have been burnt a hundred times already.

The head captain slammed his staff on the floorboards. "This meeting has been called to order—with or without captain Kurosaki," he announced and turned to her. "Captain Soifon. Please give your report on yesterday's incidents."

Soifon stepped forward with a neutral mask, hiding her irritation. "Yesterday, Lady Yoruichi and I responded to my patrol unit's distress call at the northern gate of the Seireitei. We barely arrived to prevent casualties—most were heavily injured. It was only several hundred normal Hollows at first but two additional Gargantas opened and several thousand Hollows came through. We managed to cleanse them all but—"

She paused, considering her words—Ichigo might walk in at any moment.

"An unusually fast Adjucha got past Lady Yoruichi and managed to injure my advanced student. We thought it would be a good idea to give her some field experience—we didn't think so many Hollows would come through," she finished and stepped back in line.

To her surprise, kuchiki stepped forward. "I also responded to a similar situation at the west gate around the same time. However, there were less Hollows and multiple Adjuchas with surprising speed. I was pushed to my Bankai by the flood of Hollows."

Soifon furrowed her brow. Something was wrong—and that lazy Urahara ran off in the world of the living to do something about it according to Lady Yoruichi.

Loud footsteps echoed through the doorway. Ichigo burst through, clothes damp and and expression triumphant. "It's the letter M!"

Soifon raised an eyebrow. Captain Kyoraku chuckled from down the line. "Did you hit your head again Ichigo?"

"Or perhaps he's just talking in his sleep again," Captain Unohana added, a smile pulling at her porcelain skin.

"You feeling okay there Ichigo?" Shiba asked from captain Hitsugaya's spot.

Ichigo turned to Shiba, gawking. "Huh, so you're really a captain goat-chin. Hope Toshiro doesn't get mad at you for taking his place."

"Ah I'm sure Toshiro's happy taking care of our mansion!" Shiba said, waving his arms in overt gestures.

The head captain struck the floorboard before they tumbled into a fight. "Captain Kurosaki, it appears that your training is producing results."

"Yeah thanks again, I don't even need that limiter anymore. You guys don't feel much right?"

"Not too much, however, you are still as audacious as ever."

Ichigo's eye twitched, and he… he breathed. "Tch, whatever. I'm working on it along with the snowflake."

"See it that you do," the head captain said, opening a single eye. "I'd be interested to see your progress in time."

Drowning out the smalltalk, Soifon cast her senses at Ichigo, getting a feel of his spiritual pressure. Her head jerked back at the surprise, whipping a lash down her neck muscles. His pressure changed overnight, condensed into a radiation of controlled and defined weight. A hue in the texture resembled something similar to the head captain's signature fiery pressure, but only just.

He glanced at her, and his pressure billowed back into his usual comforting aura, casting a veil over her shoulder. Strong yet protective, powerful but still more controlled than before.

Yes, he'd protect her. After all, it was in his name, in his warm, brown eyes, under those longer amber bangs of hair, still damp from whatever he did just beforehand. It made him look even sexier than his usual messy self, and he kept looking at her, piercing her. Piercing into her core, just like when he fucked her with everything he had. A tendril of fire licked her body, reddening her cheeks in a blush.

He also blushed, his whole face red.

She blinked. Shit. She stared for an entire minute.

Soifon averted her gaze and resisted the urge to facepalm and cringe. Something was off about herself when he stood near. What the hell had happened to her? Maybe giving him a good thrashing in a spar would do the trick, and undo whatever his spirit did.

Some of the other captains gave her amused or knowing looks. Captain Kuchiki narrowed eyes, glaring at Ichigo like usual. Shiba peeked back and forth between her and Ichigo, then broke into a devious grin, rubbing his hands together. He opened his mouth, but was met with a foot to the face, courtesy of Ichigo's roundhouse. "Don't you dare you old pervert."

Soifon rolled her eyes, ignoring their tumbleweed like brawl on the floorboards.

The head captain sighed, rubbing his temple.

Captain Ukitake interrupted their scuffle. "We were just discussing yesterday's Hollow attacks. Do you have anything to report Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked up to Ukitake and kicked his father off him, then stood, facing the head captain between the end of the two lines. "Nah, Byakuya said he'd take care of it so I just went to bed," he said and looked to captain Kuchiki.

"Indeed. I just informed the captains that there were more than I expected but it didn't take long to clean up."

Shiba wagged his eyebrow at him. "Just clean-up eh? I remember you said something about a Bankai?"

Kuchiki frowned at him, then closed his eyes.

"Still the flowery Zanpukto?" Shiba quipped, waving in his face. A tick popped up on Kuchiki's alabaster forehead.

The exchange fished up memories of Lady Yoruichi teasing a young Byakuya from the corner of Soifon's mind. Those were the happiest times of her life, a hundred years ago… before Lady Yoruichi disappeared. All thanks to that traitor Aizen. Temper flaring, Soifon breathed, and listened in on the meeting again.

"Captain Kurotsuchi. Have you made any developments on this extended period of Hollow activity?" The head asked.

Soifon leaned forward to offer her report again for Ichigo's sake, but decided against it. Of course, the head captain already took it into consideration. Her report would just be a potential risk in exposing Yuzu's death to Ichigo. He'd not take it too well, obviously, but he had a right to know. A tinge of sharp guilt sank into her throat.

She exhaled and focused on Kurotsuchi's ramblings. "…as if they value their lives even less than they usually do," he said, voice croaking in a medium alto.

He pulled out a diagram from his coat, flattening the rolled up paper. He held up a finger. "However, believe it or not, it seems that the Hollows have found some way to either clone themselves or create perfect illusions similar to Sosuke Aizen." He pointed to two detailed pictures of the same Hollows. "This first Hollow here is from yesterday's attack but the second was from an attack almost a month ago, if you remember."

A minute of silence passed as Soifon's contemplation bounced in her thoughts. Aizen had been securely locked up in Muken, and according to Urahara, the Hogyoku either destroyed his Zanpukto, or fused it into his soul. And he wouldn't be able to project his spirit energy more than a meter, thanks to the seals.

That only left the cloning theory. The captains appeared to agree, if Soifon intuition on their expression was right.

"That still doesn't explain the speed of the Adjuchas I fought yesterday," Kuchiki said. "It was on pair on that of a captain."

Kenpachi broke into a wide grin. "It doesn't matter how they're multiplying or how fast they are. Only more for me to fight. If they're stronger, I'll enjoy it even more!"

Everyone ignored him, having been used to his bloodthirsty battlerage for decades now. No one else looked to have anything to add, all blank in thought.

"What of Kisuke Urahara? Has he made any developments? Where is he?" The head captain asked.

"Lady Yoruichi and Urahara have gone to the world of living for a couple of days," Soifon answered, careful to not mention Ichigo's sisters. "I believe Urahara might know something about the Hollows though."

Ichigo spoke. "My Zanpukto—"

Everyone turned to him in an instant, giving absolute attention. The authority he suddenly possessed unnerved Soifon, sending flutters down her back.

Recovering, Ichigo continued. "Tensa Zangetsu said something might be up with Hueco Mundo, like the pull of the sands is different in a way. He kind of talks in vague circles so don't ask."

The elder captains murmured among themselves, and Soifon rose a brow. That didn't add anything concrete, but his Zanpukto intrigued her. A Zanpukto with a connection to the Hollows was unheard of, ever. She thought to her own spirit. 'Do you have any ideas?' .

'Still not talking to you until you admit our Bankai is the best!'

Soifon sighed. If only her Zanpukto were more like Ichigo's—more like his Bankai. She'd make use of a deadly, stealth weapon like that, more effectively than he ever had.

"I wonder if Nel's okay," Ichigo said, scratching his head. "I wonder if Nel's okay…"

A friend in Hueco Mundo?

"Who's this Nel? A secret girlfriend you have Hueco Mundo?" Captain Kyoraku asked.

Soifon's temper rose again. How many women had he taken advantage of on his adventures? It wouldn't surprise her if he had victims of his lust stashed away in every realm.

"Don't be shy son. It's part of becoming a man to have desi—"

Ichigo slammed his foot into Shiba's face again. He crashed into the wall, leaving a shallow imprint. "Shut it goat-chin! And Nel is an Arrancar I met when I went to Hueco Mundo before. She helped us get to las Noches quicker and saved my life once. Apparently she was the previous third Espada but was betrayed."

Several murmurs echoed through the room.

"I'm surprised Renji and Rukia didn't tell you guys about her," he added.

More murmurs broke across the captains. The situation could get bad; if the captains suspected this Nel—Ichigo could overreact as usual.

The head captain sent a shockwave through the room with his staff. "Enough. I doubt this Nel is behind whatever the cause of these attacks are. In-fact I have a good idea at what might be causing this—You are not to question this issue any further."

Soifon looked at him in confusion. He was the one who called the meeting in the first place. What was the point of this meeting?

"Ahh… ol' man yama… You were the one who called this meeting remember?" Captain Ukitake spoke her thoughts.

"I merely wanted the input of my captains. I will look into this matter myself but until then, every captain will take turns to patrol the Seireitei walls and eliminate any Hollow that dares to attack the Seireitei." he ordered and hammered his staff again. "You are dismissed."

"Oh Ichigo," Ukitake said as everyone turned to leave. "I've set up the communication links to the world of the living. Your family and friends are expecting to see you this afternoon."

Soifon left in a series of flash steps before he replied. she had to make sure Omaeda didn't do anything stupid at the division—and leave before that pervert tried anything on her again.

* * *

Karin strolled down the street as she dribbled her soccer ball next to her grumbling boyfriend. He was way too cute when he was annoyed.

"Why do we have to wear these silly uniforms now?" He complained with a scowl—much like Ichigo's.

"Cus we're in a tournament," she replied matter-of-factly.

"It doesn't make a difference what we're wearing." He kept complaining.

"Suck it up Shiro. And I saw you peeking when I was changing back at home," she said, poking his side. She didn't mind—he was several decades old after all. He probably already saw everything a woman had, if his busty lieutenant was anything to judge by.

"Wha-wha I didn't—"

"Don't deny it." She poked him again as his blush grew.

"Yeah whatever… Just don't tell y—"

"Just don't tell Ichigo?" she finished for him, grinning. He bit his lips shut as a tick popped on his temple.

She smirked, and kept dribbling down the street.

Sauntering beside her, he sighed. "Sorry about griping about everything—but I've just been thin—"

His communicator beeped that emergency tune, filling the street with an arpeggio of electronic notes. He snatched the phone out of his pocket, flipping it open in under a second. His eyes bulged.

"Karin! Get ready!" he yelled and swallowed his soul candy. "Get back to the house!" he ordered to his Gigai and drew his Zanpukto, then spoke into the phone. "This is Captain Hitsugaya. Requesting an area freeze one thousand meters around myself and permission for a limiter release."

Karin's heart pounded once. Limiter release? "what's happening?"

He grimaced and stared into the sky.

She nudged his arm—hard as steel—but he only hardened his jaw. "There's thousands coming," he said in a whisper.

Swallowing, she shook off a tremble with a quick stretch of her arm. She drew her bow and loaded an arrow.

A Garganta the size of at least a couple blocks opened overhead.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the other side of the road in a flash step—the world spun for half a second. "If you start to tire, stay behind me," he said, seeping cold energy into her arm. "And don't be afraid to kill them even if it means destroying their souls."

She gulped.

The first Hollows jumped out of the abyss, leading the charge. It looked like a gargoyle bat, though still humanoid like the rest of the Hollows she had seen. The gargoyle shrieked, diving in a beeline for her and Toshiro. She released her arrow.

Her blue bolt whizzed through the air. The Hollow dodged in a twirling maneuver, only receiving a scratch to it's wing.

She inwardly groaned, cursing her slow progress. Ichigo and Toshiro could kill any of these in one hit. Even all her friends with spiritual powers could. Even Orihime could and she was a healer.

Several more abominations jumped through, resembling half-animals and flyring creatures only found in Mangas she bought in town.

She grimaced and fired more arrows.

More glancing blows.

"Reign over the frozen heavens! Hyorinmaru!" Toshiro yelled, glowing in blue light. Spiritual pressure erupted from his body and blade, pushing down on her in a violent cacophony of cold energy. Three ice dragons materialised in the air, rushing towards the funnel of Hollows. At least a hundred had charged through.

The dragons ghosted through, freezing waves of Hollows in an instant.

Karin took the opportunity and fired several carefully aimed arrows into the skull of each Hollow, shattering each block of ice. The Hollows disintegrated in more shrieking cries.

Tightening her jaw, she bit down on the guilt. Thinking about the souls she just erased from existence wouldn't do any good right now.

She kept firing arrows at the frozen targets, ignoring each pang of guilt as each soul faded away.

Toshiro growled, sending out more ice dragons. The charge slowed as the front line froze into a pileup of crystal ice. None shattered despite several dragons passing through every front Hollow.

She didn't have enough arrows. "Don't you have more abilities than just freezing them?!"

"It won't help against this many…" he trailed off, and pointed with his free hand. "Hado 4: Byakurai."

A streak of lightning cut through the sky, lighting up the street in blinding flashes of white, blinding karin for two seconds. The ice blocks in front shattered as the lightning passed through.

But it still wasn't enough. He released more dragons in followup.

Arm burning, Karin maintained a constant stream of arrows, filling her portion of the sky with toothpicks of Reishi.

5 arrows a second.

10 arrows a second.

20.

Still not enough.

Each blue spike of Reishi became deadlier as she kept firing. They were no longer glancing blows; each arrow critically wounded or killed a frozen Hollow along with Toshiro's Kido. Too bad her limit approached. She halted the barrage and hunched over, palming her knees for support. Sweat dripped off her nose as she panted under a frenzied beat of her heart.

The Hollows still came through in a flood. Thousands must have entered the tunnel on the other side. They already killed hundreds, yet more jumped through at an increasing rate.

"Arrrhh" Toshiro hissed. Sweat also dripped down his face—that limiter must have been taking a toll. "Try to stay behind me—I'll try to keep my spirit pressure from affecting you." He positioned his blade in a rigid stance, holding his Katana in front of his face.

Realising what he was about to do, she reached out to his shoulder, unable to catch a breath to speak.

Too late. "Bankai! Daiguren Hyorinmaru!"

The cold air exploded around him, dropping in temperature to degrees she'd never felt before, just as he had once said when he'd warned her about his Bankai. Then then spiritual pressure rose to a level higher than anything she'd be pressed under.

So cold. Colder than anything she'd imagine possible. Shivering didn't help. Rubbing her arms didn't help.

His ice wings and flowers finished forming, and the temporally finally leveled out. It was at least fifty degrees below zero.

He glanced at her, worry flashing across his eyes.

"I-I— I'm f-fi-ne," she said, teeth chattering.

He nodded and unleashed an avalanche of frost and ice, obliterating the incoming Hollows. Snow, ice, and fading Hollow Reshi broiled in a storm, chafing against Karin's already frozen skin.

And even then, more Hollows dashed through the rip in a swarm.

Toshiro slashed his blade through the air thrice, releasing three more avalanches.

Karin shivered in awe. If toshiro had that power, then what about Ichigo? They had said he had the power of over several captains combined. And Toshiro hadn't even released his limiter. No wonder Ichigo wasn't allowed in the living world—the destruction would be citywide.

An eagle Hollow flew at them in blurred speed. Toshiro stabbed it through the head before it clawed him "Ryusenka!" he yelled, discharging an even larger blast of ice from the tip of his blade.

Her goosebumps froze to a white in the cold wind of that attack. She lost feeling of her fingers and feet. She couldn't even breath without her lungs screaming in pain.

"Are you alright?" he said, glancing over his shoulder. She responded with chattering teeth.

He turned back to the Hollows and resumed his assault of ice. Every Hollow that flew into range shattered before the iceblocks formed. The charge evaporated at Toshiro's sphere of destruction.

For a minute, the onslaught continued. Freezing air whipping her in unending lashes.

A loud rip echoed through the air—no, two loud rips. Karin threw her gaze back up, frozen neck straining. Three Garangats now hung in the sky. Her already frozen chest dropped another few degrees. If Toshiro didn't use some kind of ultimate attack to destroy those Gargantas, she'd freeze in minutes. "T-To-sh-shiro."

He looked over his shoulder again, features straining. "I might have to release my limiter, but that will make my Bankai five times worse. It will even affect the weather and create a huge blizzard."

Karin stared in disbelief. A blizzard? It was already a blizzard.

She didn't get a chance to respond before a deluge of Hollows burst from the additional Gargantas. Within ten seconds, over several thousands swarmed into the sky, and Toshiro barely threw out enough ice to block the charge.

A light-blue streak of Reishi arched through the air in the shape of a rough curve, purifying at least a hundred Hollows.

Karin spun, eating the pain.

Yuzu! Along with Yurichi and Urahara!

Yuzu waved and fired more light-blue waves of Reishi at the frozen Hollows. Warmth coursed through Karin's chest. Seeing her almost made Karin forget the cold—almost. Yoruichi shot bolts of lightning and Urahara threw waves of red spirit energy at the Hollows. The barrage of ice, lighting and red-blue Reishi tore through the incoming flow. They didn't even make it out of the Garaganta now.

Everyone was so powerful.

Toshiro's shoulders dropped, or at least that's what it looked like from behind. "I was worried for a second there, sorry about the cold…" His teal eyes sank into her, glistening in relief.

"Tos-shiro… It's ok-okay…" she said in her best non-chattering voice.

The cold lifted off her, slowly, over several seconds as Toshiro let his Bankai shrink.

A flash of white in a crazy fast buzz blinked through the sky, nearly invisible.

Was that even a Hollow?

It appeared out of nowhere right next to him. It was indeed a Hollow—the weirdest Hollow in several thousand. It didn't even resemble a human figure like the others, and looked to be twice as large. A cross between a dragonfly and scorpion could only describe it.

Her heart thudded.

"TOSHIRO!" she cried in a breath of frozen and painful air.

Way too late.

As he threw a wave of ice, the scorpion impaled him in his chest before it was frozen. He coughed up blood as his Bankai crumbled around him.

Karin caught him before he fell to the ground, gently setting him onto the grass and applying pressure to his wound with a piece of his shattered ice. "Toshiro…" she said, voice broken. A single tear escaped her eye.

Yoruichi appeared next to the frozen Hollow at the corner of her eye and shattered the ice. She approached with a sad face. "Kisuke and I don't know enough healing kido for that… but Orihime can easily heal that." she said before disappearing in a flash of lightning.

That helped. Karin straightened and applied more pressure to his bleeding wound. Hot blood gushed between her fingers and his Shihakshou. "Don't worry… Orihime will be here soon—I hope…" she whispered through a raw throat. He coughed up more blood onto her.

She glanced back at the Gargantas. They still fought in a brilliant display of lightning and red-blue Reishi, slaughtering any remaining Hollows. Less than ten jumped through as the black rips closed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

A large monitor covered in purple tentacles flickered to life as faces of Ichigo's friends and family fuzzed into clarity on the high definition screen. Anticipation fluttered through his chest. He took a deep breath and centered himself, settling down his thoughts.

They hadn't seen him in over three months—three months of putting them through worry. And he'd never return to visit in person, not even in an emergency. If he lost control of his power millions could die by accident. His sisters might not forgive him for leaving without warning, but they had a video link so it was as good as in person—right?

Yuzu stood in front, more forward than the others. She looked to be her usual cheery self, as if nothing happened these months—strange that she'd be so unaffected. He had expected a worse reaction from her to the news that he'd be living in Soul Society, dead in the afterlife.

"Hi Ichi. Glad to see you're finally awake," Yuzu greeted, waving and smiling.

That nickname caught his attention, making him nearly eye-twitch. That damn nickname better not catch on in the Seireitei or he'd have an infuriating afterlife.

'Don't worry Ichi! You'll always have my respect, my rough and demanding master,' Tensa spoke up in her usual tone.

Face heating, he tried his best to keep composure in front. He'd never hear the end of it otherwise. "Hey Yuzu, yeah I've been awake for a couple days now but Ukitake had to set up the communicator. Good to see you guys." He put on his best grin, and waved.

Everyone else followed up in jumble of voices. Uryu pushed up his glasses after finishing whatever he said next to a waving chad. Tatsuki stood in the group as well, arms folded, but gave him a small smile like Orihime did.

Karin slouched by Yuzu with a very small smile, puffy eyes, and pale cheeks, as if— like she was just crying. A scowl pulled at Ichigo's brow. That didn't make sense. She wasn't the emotional one of the two. The two girls standing in front of him were like the exact opposite to the sisters he knew.

Toshiro stood next to Karin—way too close. Ichigo's scowl grew as Toshiro noticed, blinking and shifting away. Karin glanced at him and frowned, but looked back to Ichigo with a blank face the next second. "Hey Ichigo, don't get yourself killed again while you're dead."

Toshiro interrupted with his greeting before Ichigo could respond. "Kurosa— Captain Kurosaki! It's good to see you're doing well. How are things in the Seireitei?" he asked, voice mechanical and awkward.

Ichigo scowled even more, then raised an eyebrow. He wanted some respect from people but that was just too damn much. "Toshiro… Just call me Ichigo." He thumbed to his Haori. "Just because I have one of these white coats now like you do doesn't mean I'm some kind of stuck-up noble. And I hope you're taking care of Yuzu and Karin well," he finished in his best neutral voice. The small white-haired captain looked after his family these months after all. He owed him for that now.

Everyone watched the exchange, faces blank. Orihime shifted.

Toshiro blinked and swallowed—rather un-Toshiro like, for he didn't give a damn about Ichigo's attitude just like all the other captains.

Uryu cut in as Toshiro opened his mouth. "So they made you a Captain? I thought there would be some kind of minimum intelligence required," he said, smirking.

Typical Uryu. He'd have to find out why Toshiro was being so weird later. "Four-eyes! I'm an honorary member of the royal guard, not just a regular captain! And secondly, Intelligence isn't even that important considering Kenpachi somehow became one."

No one appeared surprised at his comment about the royal guard. So they did know everything.

"So you're saying you're the second least intelligent out of the lot then," Uryu said and pushed up his glasses.

Ichigo glared at the infuriating Quincy. "Yeah whatever, you're just lucky I'm not allowed to come over there and kick y—"

A purple haired, mocha skinned werecat pushed past from behind Uryu with a devious smile. "Don't do anything while I'm away Ichigo," Yoruichi said, tone dripping with suggestion.

Ichigo straightened, jerking backwards, but adopted the same devious smile. Two could play her game. "What the hell are you doing there? I thought you went back to the Seireitei to be with your little bee."

Her grin widened. "I'm sure Soifon's got enough company. I wouldn't want to walk in on anything private…"

Everyone looked back and forth between the two, eyes curious and lips parted.

Panic sprained within his chest. He underestimated her. His big secret could slip out any second. "Yeah she's a captain, pretty busy I guess. Unlike you, Yourichi!"

She rose an eyebrow and opened her mouth, but stopped herself, giving him a knowing look.

A drop of sweat ran down his face and silvery laughter echoed through his thoughts. "Hey Tatsuki," he changed the subject. "How come Keigo and them arent here? I thought they could see Aizen and them before," he said in a rush of word, mentally pleading Yoruichi to not say anything more.

Tatsuki blinked as his question registered. "They said they'd catch up later, something about not wanting to be involved about with the dead. And you'll call us often so they can catch up later… Right? They didn't want to overwhelm you with everyone being there at once you know."

Accepting her explanation, he nodded. "Alright, tell them I said Hi. And yeah, I'll call whenever I have time."

Yoruichi chirped up from next to Uryu again. "You know, Keigo is quite the horny guy. He's a lot li—"

A spike of fear pierced his core. "Orihime! How are you holding up? Hope it wasn't too sudden that I left. Chad! See you you around I guess eh?"

Chad grunted in response, smiling, but Orihime held her hands to her chest and smiled sadly. "Ichigo. I'm so happy you're still okay, even if you're not with us anymore… but…" she trailed off as her head fell.

Ichigo blinked in surprise—out of everyone, Orihime and Karin were affected the most somehow.

"I just want to tell you tha—"

Tatsuki covered her mouth. "Perhaps that would be best saved for a private conversation, eh Orihime? It's not not this is the last time we'll see him or anything."

Of course it wasn't. They didn't need to be so sad. "Hey guys… relax, It's not like we'll never hang out of anything again. Old Yamamoto is teaching me to control my spiritual pressure real well. I'm sure you'll be able to visit sometime soon," he offered, hoping Soul society would be lenient enough to allow that.

"Actually we were just about to say something about that," Uryu said, adjusting his glasses. "One of the captains gave us these Soul Tickets the other month in case it were possible to visit—though I don't see why I'd possibly visit a city full of soul reapers." He held up several pieces of rectangular paper, painted with landmarks Ichigo hadn't seen before.

Yuzu looked at the tickets, grinning. "Yeah, we can have a picnic with the—"

Toshiro's communicator beeped twice. Everyone stiffened and looked to him as if a few Hollows were the end of the world. Picked the flip-phone out of his pocket, he checked the alert, scowling. "Just some normal Hollows. I'll be back in a moment." He turned and left.

Karin blinked, eyes widening.

Then she jumped after him, pulling him into a hug and—

She kissed him— on the lips. Ichigo's eyes bulged out of their sockets.

Toshiro returned the kiss for a second, blushing, but pushed her away and looked at screen, face paling. Karin also spun around and swallowed. "W-Wait it's not what it loo—"

"TOSHIRO!" Ichigo roared, but he already disappeared in a flash step, pulling Karin along with him. "TOSHIRO GET BACK HERE!"

"What are you talking about Ichigo? You look like you've seen a little white haired ghost," Yourichi said.

Ichigo scowled, baring his teeth. Either he just went insane or his twelve year old sister just kissed a captain—and he specifically told Toshiro to not try anything with her.

His friends and family chuckled, smiling nervously.

"What the hell?! You just all let that happen?!" he yelled, waving an arm in a wild gesture. "Toshiro could get her into serious trouble! Hes a freaking captain! And shes only twelve!"

"Knew he'd overreact. Pay up," Uryu said, extending a palm towards chad, who grunted and handed him a bar of chocolate.

The sound of his two spirits laughing echoed in his mind.

"WHAT. THE—"

"Ichigo! Whats happening?!" Rukia yelled from the other room. He glanced back, meeting the faces of Ukitake and Goat-chin poking through the doorway. Growling, Ichigo paused and inhaled, stopping the imaginary triangles of his snowflake from leaking any more spiritual pressure.

But he just couldn't. The boiling anger blotted out every last drop of focus—he'd be chasing after Toshiro at the moment if he weren't in a different dimension.

"Gentei Rein!" he said, slapping a glass bowl over his snowflake, walling off the leakage. Though a fifth still leaked through the edges of the bowl, trickling in shallow rivers of spirit energy.

"It looks like Toshiro and Karin let their little secret slip," Yoruichi called from the screen.

"Ah, I see," Ukitake said, chuckling. Goat-chin grunted and smiled along.

"So everyone knew?! What the hell? Dad?"

"Seeya later Ichigo. Don't have too much fun without me," Yoruichi said and waved goodbye. Everyone else chirped their chorus of goodbyes and waves as the screen faded to black.

"Your sister and Captain Hitsugaya have been courting for about two and a half months now," Ukitake said, still smiling. "I guess you would call them boyfriend and girlfriend in the world of the living."

That only threw straw on Ichigo's burning anger. "How can a captain, whose also been dead for decades be dating my very much alive twelve year old sister?!" It was like everyone turned insane except him—could they not see how ridiculous it was for Toshiro to be with Karin?

"Ahh well souls age a lot slower than humans depending on the amount of spirit energy the soul holds. Your sister should be almost the same as Toshiro in terms of human age," Ukitake explained as if the situation were like an every day thing that happened.

"You have to admit they look cute together!" his old man added with goofy smile.

Ichigo's neck twitched as his hand jerked to his Zanpuktos. Insane and crazy—every last one of them. "Is this why you sent him to look after Karin and Yuzu? Just to play your perverted game?"

"Nope! But it's a happy coincidence!"

Ichigo growled and slammed his foot into his face. "What. The. Hell?!"

"You have to admit Ichigo," Ukitake said, raising a finger. "It's not that different from you and Rukia. You're only a few years older than your sister after all and Rukia's over a hundred years old. You're quite the player Ichigo."

He jumped back at the surprising turn of the conversation. Even Ukitake dared to tease him; the last person imaginable to take a shot at him. "Wh-What! thats completely differe—"

"Hah! So you admit it then my devious son! We're going to have our first grandkids soon Masaki!" Goat-chin cheered into the ceiling.

"idiotMONO!" Rukia shouted from the hallway.

Stomps vibrated through the floorboards along with the slam of a door.

"Player," Ukitake quipped.

"N— Wha—" Ichigo stuttered, backed into a corner by the crazies in the weird society of the dead. He pulled at his hair. "Dammit! Whatever. He just better not get her killed or something!" he said and threw his hands into the air—a few words with the short captain would have to be said later though.

And Rukia too, if she calms down enough to talk. At least he didn't let their sex party slip out.

"That's more like it my son! Soon you'll have a brother in our growing family!" Goat-chin said, slapping Ichigo's back. "Don't look like you've been hit by a train. I know! Lets go take a look at your new division headquarters to cheer you up!"

Ichigo blinked, the offer brushing away thoughts of impaling Toshiro with his two blades.

* * *

Karin groaned, replaying the meeting with Ichigo in her thoughts—what a disaster. Hopefully they wouldn't need to hide away for long like Urahara and Yoruichi did, and hope Ichigo wouldn't show up in one of those Soul Reaper doors. He wasn't that stupid at least.

She glanced at her white haired captain, who was still busy slicing through the remainder of the Hollows above her. The beasts always were the cause of every problem and headache. It was even why Ichigo was dead now—in a round-a-bout way—kind of. And it was the them that made her overreact to Toshiro's alert going off—not her own stupid worrying of course.

More Hollows jumped out of the small Garganta, but not like the endless flood of beasts earlier. Toshiro had said here group of stragglers trailed behind the main attack earlier—and he just had to be the one to go deal with it. Orihime didn't have enough time to fully restore his spirit energy. Yoruichi had said he was only at the level of a lieutenant at the moment.

Fidegeting in the grass, she tracked every one of his slow flash steps as he took out every Hollow. She'd be up there in… less than five seconds if he'd need the help. To her relief, he appeared to be handling it with ease. Another Hollow disintegrated as his blade tore through it's mask in a quick slice—a much less graceful slice than his usual self would have performed.

His shoulders rose and fell, though the sight was difficult to discern from the ground. If only she her Reishi manipulation improved, she could use that eyeball Reishi enhancement technique Uryu mentioned in the manual. A silent chuckle shook her shoulders as she recalled the many mundane Quincy techniques. Uryu was proud to be a master of the Reishi sewing needle.

The Garganta closed after the last three Hollows jumped out. Toshiro took out the first two, almost sluggishly. The third Hollow managed reach melee distance, slashing him with a feathered wing. He flung his arm up, protecting his chest. An arc of his blood flew through the air as he stabbed it through it's mask.

"Toshiro!" she yelled, gathering Reishi beneath her feet.

He flashed onto the grass next to her before she dashed into the air, and sat on a log near the park trees. A long cut dug into his forearm, bleeding quite a bit, but wasn't serious. Seeing him so weak crushed her innards.

"I'll go get Orihime…" she mumbled.

He stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Its fine. I know enough Kido for a scratch. And I'll be back to full by tomorrow morning." He brought his other hand to his wound, glowing in bright green. The cut stitched back together in a web of new skin.

Karin sighed, sat down next to him, and offered a bottle of water. "So about Ichigo… Guess I'll be hiding out in the world of the living for the next hundred years," she said as he drank.

His eyes twitched to her. Two large teal gemstones. Adorable.

"I'm worried he's going to show up any second," he said, peeking behind the log and line of trees.

A second passed before she realised he was serious. "He'll get over it."

"I doubt it. that time Rukia was going to get executed…" he trailed off, swallowing.

"Dad's there so he'll explain—in his usual crazy way at least," she reassured, playfully punching his arm.

He muttered under his breath—something about captain Shiba and craziness.

Karin chuckled, and threw herself into the long grass, relaxing in the damp bed of greenery. Several minutes passed as she counted the clouds, imagining them as the funny looking Hollows she saw throughout the day. Despite being dangerous as they were, the appearance of a few of them were comical.

But it was the worse day in months ever since that captain with the pink Kimono came to explain the official story. He was quite the character—not the military general she imagined the other captains to be. She pulled out the Soul Tickets he gave her, holding them in the sun. Soul Society attractions were painted on the yellow-pink parchments.

"Karin…" Toshiro said. "Before the attack today I wanted to talk about something,"

Raising an eyebrow, she twisted her head to him, letting him continue.

"I didn't want to bring this up at first but its been months now… and we're getting more serious by the day apparently… especially after today." His gazed dropped as he played with the hilt of his Zanpukto and took another drink. "You know that I'm dead and you're alive right?"

"Yeah of course. You're a soul reaper duh…" she said, smiling a little. That wasn't as nearly as bad as it could've been. She sighed in relief—it sounded a lot like a break up speech at first. Though it could still lead to that…

He sighed as well. "I'm going to look like a kid for at least four or five more decades and possibly even live for thousands of years."

she bolted up from the grass in a panic. "Wait what?! I thought you you died recently and kept your memories as an old man when you were reborn because you were extraordinarily powerful or something!"

"No, I was born or reborn in the Rukongai several decades ago without any of my past life memories. Due to my vast spirit energy I age extremely slowly much like the head captain and the older captains. Your brother will likely live forever and not age a single day. "

Karin blinked and swallowed. That was impossible. She took it in as the minutes ticked away.

"And what about me? I'm a Quincy now right?"

"You posses spirit energy—and manipulate it. But you're still merely a human—not in a bad way—so you'll live the average life of one and age normally."

"So in like five years it will look really weird for us to be together eh?" she quipped but it nearly tore her apart on the inside. They were never meant to be after all. Everyone was all right about it being better to just date a normal human.

She blinked, holding back tears. "So what about when I die and pass to the soul society? I'll be a lot like you when I die normally, pass on and reborn in the soul society right?"

Awkward silence was her reply.

"What about my brother then? Did he 'die' when his body disintegrated or when he became a soul reaper?" she asked. An idea started creeping up from the back of her mind—a dangerous idea.

"In one of Urahara's reports he said he had to cut his chain of fate to help him regain his powers to save Rukia when it all started. He died right then but kept his body somehow," he explained quickly.

"Hmmmmmmmm," she murmured.

His eyes snapped to her. "Karin? What are you thinking right now?"

"Nothin."

"Karin," he tried again, hardening his voice.

"…"

"Karin!"

* * *

Ichigo grumbled as fantasies of chasing down a screaming Toshiro played across his eyes. He didn't even need to focus to flash step at the slow pace Ukitake led him in. But they'd been flash stepping for half an hour. They'd passed the dense Seireitei capital into the ram-shack outskirts where the Soul Reaper grunts lived twenty minutes ago. Now they jumped through the grasslands and forests of the Seireitei wilderness.

Goat-chin and Ukitake abruptly stopped a hundred meters off from a river. Ichigo dug his heels into the soil, skidding to edge of a barren wasteland. The only signs of life present were shrubs and that wide river, running by a small building at the corner of his eye.

"Why the hell did you bring me out here?!" he said, kicking dust into the air.

Ukitake took out a clear flask of water from his Haori and Goat-chin spread his arms, grinning. "Welcome to the new zero division Seireitei headquarters!"

Ichigo deadpanned and took another long look at the wasteland. "What the hell you old man?! Is this some kind of joke?!"

"Absolutely not," Ukitake said, putting away his bottle.

Over thirty minutes of painfully slow flash steps to get to this wasteland. "You expect me to stay in the hot desert all day?"

"Of course my son! It'll be great for priva—"

Ichigo slapped him away, sending him twirling into the desert. "Why can't I just stay in the capital? My control is much better now."

Ukitake smiled and chuckled. "We're very serious Ichigo. Its both for the safety of the Seireitei headquarters and secrecy of what you do with the zero squad. You also get to build up this place just as you like—it's over a hundred and fifty thousand square miles. That's a lot of land."

"But—" Ichigo said, then Ukitake 's words sank in. "A hundred and fifty thousand?"

"A hundred and fifty thousand."

Holy shit. A hundred thousand square miles of harsh desert. Crazy. Every single one of them—insane and crazy. "Yeah thanks, great place to keep all my spare camels," he said, playing along.

"Don't forget the river!" Goat-chin added.

"Yeah I can see that you old goat!"

"This is no joke," Ukitake said, laughing. "Don't forget you have the Hogyoku in your soul."

Ichigo perked up, the suggestion tugging his spine straight. Ukitake had a point, though he still didn't know the full extent of his Hogyoku powers. He'd have to ask his perverted spirit later… or fuck it out of her, as a las resort of course.

'Oh I see you're already in the mood for more," she said.

Ukitake spoke up before he could retort. "Lets go see your new office building. I'm betting you're dying to get all the paperwork done." He flash stepped towards the small building along with his old man.

"Come on Ichigo! You'll be spending long days filling out reports in there!" Goat-chin yelled back to him.

He huffed and flash stepped along with them.

They arrived in a paved courtyard by a two story building, a black square symbol painted on the roof. An open deck, connected to the foyer, ran onto the courtyard—which was not empty. All his friends from the Seireitei along with many of the captains chattered and ate. A barbecue from the world of the living wafted a delicious aroma along with tables lined with snacks and drinks.

"It looks like our new captain of the royal guard is here," Kyroraku said from under his hat, drinking Sake as usual.

Beefy scent and spice filling Ichigo's airways, his stomach rumbled—he hadn't eaten breakfast that morning thanks to Yamamoto's screaming butterfly. He ran over to the barbecue as his friends laughed and slapped his back.

"Out of the way pineapple head! Thats an order—from a captain!" he said, grinning deviously at Renji, then snatching a plate of grilled meat and vegetables from the table.

"I doubt you'll last long with how you'll run this division," Renji said, swallowing mouthfuls of food.

"Better than what you'd do!" he snapped and sat down with his plate and cutlery, for he was civilized, or rather forced to be under one of Rukia's conditions she had laid down on their growing relationship. She had given him an hour lecture on the ways of snobbish noble life.

Before he could take a bite, a long, jagged sword crashed down on him. He barely dodged in a flash step back to the edge of the courtyard. "What the hell Kenpachi! Cant you see I'm eating here?!"

"There you are Ichigo! I've been waiting ever since the meeting for this. You see, Yachiru had an idea on how to get you to fight…" he trailed off with a massive grin and walked up to him. She grunted, digging into a plate of meat from under one of the tables.

"You'll either have to fight me with everything you have or I might just blurt out what happened at that meeting the other time… Hey everyone! Theres something I'd like to—"

Ichigo drew one of his blades and slammed into him, the force throwing Kenpachi into the barrens. "You won't be saying a thing, Kenpachi! If you want a fight then thats fine by me! Getsuga Tensho!" he roared and threw a ten meter arc of purple-white Reishi at him. Kenpachi was pushed back again but not injured—that limiter on top of the thousands of triangles did it's job better than he expected.

Ichigo looked curiously at his blade—his Getsuga's usually were black-red or white-blue. He shrugged it off and glared back to Kenpachi.

"Tch… are you going to fight me with both blades or just use your Wakizashi as if I'm not worthy." Kenpachi said, pointing with his blade.

Ichigo cocked his head. "How do you know what they're called? I thought you only cared about fighting."

"Are you trying to insult me? I'm the head of the melee combat squad! Now fight me like man before you cut yourself again!" he said and charged.

Ichigo scowled. He'd not hear the end of that for the next hundred years.

He cursed and drew his Katana, but drew it too fast—his arm clipped on the Wakizashi's tip. A small arc of blood sprayed into the air. He inwardly groaned. Everyone was watching. Kenpachi stopped his charge and stared with a deadpan expression.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Rukia jumped across the endless rooftops of the Seireitei capital towards the zero division opening party as fast as possible. She cursed at herself for forgetting—her captain was there along with her brother and fellow lieutenants. It was that strawberry idiot's fault for letting their secret slip back at his meeting. If the orgy got out it would be hot news in the Seireitei for decades to come. And the Kuchiki clan would be more furious than the time she was to be executed.

She stopped on top of a tall, pointed rooftop, catching her breath and wiping off sweat dry. The barren wastelands were still many miles away, and she had already neared the edge of the capital. A grimace pulled at her face. Visiting Ichigo while at his division would be quite the chore once everything settled down, unless she somehow raised her spirit energy exponentially—which was more or less impossible at her current growth. She shook her head began flash stepping again.

The last rooftops passed by in a fuzz as she picked up her pace into the start of the Seireitei wilderness. Flash stepping though shadows of the forest canopy and spray of foaming rivers, she settled into a relaxing pace, reminiscing the time she ran through Hueco Mundo alongside Ichigo. Though she'd never be able to fight alongside him again, not even if she attained Bankai like Renji. Just standing in his presence was difficult if he released the Gentei Rein—and that wasn't even with his Shikai release.

Shivering, she discarded the depressing thoughts.

The trees thinned and rivers merged into a wide mouth as the wastelands entered view. The desert stretched till the end of the horizon in unending cracked, blistered barrens. Not a single cloud floated in the sky, and the sun appeared twice as large here.

Oh, she'd enjoy this place—not.

A small building caught her attention. Sighing, she turned towards the two-story office in in another flash step.

"Getsuga Tensho!" the familiar roar of her Ichigo rang through the courtyard party. Some gazed out into the barrens with mouthfuls of Sake and food while others talked among themselves, ignoring the spectacle taking place next to them.

Looking out into the barrens, Rukia shuddered as a pulse of Ichigo's spiritual pressure vibrated through her bones. A wide arc of purple-white Reishi crashed into captain Zaraki, forcing him further out into the desert by several meters through a cloud of dirt and dust. Purple-white Reishi lingered, then dissipated in a swirl around Zaraki, leaving him uninjured.

Rukia furrowed her brow. Was Ichigo weaker now? No, that was impossible—it must have been his training with the head captain. Even now, his usual explosive spiritual pressure didn't wash over her in a chaotic weight, but was rather held back, denser, more defined.

"Tch… are you going to fight me with both blades or just use your Wakizashi as if I'm not worthy." Zaraki said, barely audible at Rukia's distance.

"How do you know what they're called?" Ichigo asked. "I thought you only cared about fighting."

"Are you trying to insult me? I'm the head of the melee combat squad! Now fight me like man before you cut yourself again!" Zaraki roared and charged.

Drawing another blade, Ichigo stepped back as blood sprayed through the air, staining the rocky grounds.

Holding back laughter, Rukia bit her lips to keep her noble act composed. However, a wave of mirth broke out from the courtyard along with comments on Ichigo's abilities.

Renji spat out a mouthful of Sake, nearly falling to the ground. "Well guys! If thats what we have for the royal guard then it looks like the Soul King is done for!"

"So does this mean Ichi forgot how to fight?" Yachiru said.

"Looks like it!" Renji said, wiping Sake off his face.

"Reminds me a lot of ourselves when I was young, right Jushiro?" Captain Kyoraku said.

Rukia's captain chuckled, rubbing his head. "Indeed… though I don't think we constantly cut ourselves when we discovered our Zanpukto…"

"Indeed." Kyroaku nodded and drank from his Sake cup. "But I'm sure he'll be an expert, eventually."

Rukia sighed and turned back to his battle. Zaraki sneered at Ichigo, who had his his back to her, showing off his sleeveless Haori and bangs of orange hair.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Zaraki said, brandishing his chipped sword.

Ichigo waved his arms comically, blades in hand. A ridiculous sight. "Nope! Did that on purpose… Thought you needed bit of a handicap, Kenpachi!"

"Yeah whatever carrot-top! You suck at dual wielding just admit it!" Rengi called from the side. Light laughter washed over her from the party, and even captain Komamura chuckled in his hoarse voice.

"What was that pineapple! Come over here and say it!" Ichigo barked, a tick popping on his forehead.

"You moron!" Renji shouted. "Don't you know how hard dual wielding is?!"

"Kid's got a point," Zaraki said.

"He's right," captain Kyroraku added. "It's difficult."

Ichigo twisted around to face Kyroraku, nearly cutting his fingers. "Wha—"

Rukia blocked out the charade and sauntered over to the cloth-covered tables. For once, Rukia agreed with Renji—though she'd never admit it. Ichigo would need training before something serious happened again, but it wouldn't surprise her to see him charge into battle with only one of his blades, firing non-stop Getsuga Tenshous.

Her brother sat by the Sake bowl enjoying a cup—even he drank on occasions.

"Brother, why were Ichigo and capatain Zaraki fighting?" Rukia asked. If anyone would give a straight answer it would be him—as usual.

"I believe captain Zaraki was about to making an announcement," he answered, glancing at her. "Ichigo stopped him in his typical fashion." He gulped the rest of his Sake cup and threw a grape into his mouth.

She gulped and helped herself to a drink, for it would do some good to calm her worry. Zaraki must have known something—at least about Ichigo's new Zanpukto spirit. "I see," she said after a mouthful of the harsh alcohol.

More waves of chuckles bounced around party as Ichigo fooled around at the corner of Rukia's eye, but halted as a rising spiritual pressure descended upon the courtyard.

"Alright! In ten days, I will fight you until one of us can't stand anymore, Kenpachi!" Ichigo declared with a gesture of his Katana.

The lung-crushing pressure lifted. Rukia let out a breath.

"A fight to the death in ten days eh?" Zaraki said then sheathed his sword. "I'd be impressed if you could use both without injuring yourself by then."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You'll see." Zaraki walked back to the isles of food, laughing maniacally.

"Hey Kenpachi! Get back here!" Ichigo said, waving his Katana.

After half a minute of being ignored by Zaraki and the others offering sarcastic tips on his swordplay, he sheathed his blades—carefully—and sauntered back to the courtyard. "Shut it the lot of you!" He snatched up his plate of food.

Rukia hardened her jaw, teeth gritting. Not even a week had passed and Ichigo already gotten himself into a fight to the death. Of course, he was Ichigo; battles had always been drawn to him like Hollows to humans with high spirit energy. It was only natural. But at least his transformation had made him near indestructible, and perhaps he'd beat some civility into Zaraki's head. Her brother would appreciate that.

"Ichigo," Rukia's captain said, approaching him. "I'm sure Shunsui and I would be more than willing to help you get used to your Daisho pair." He glanced at Captain Kyoraku, then smiled. "Well at least when Shunsui's not drunk like now."

Ichigo perked up and turned to captain Ukitake with a mouthful of food. "R-Rea—" He swallowed the mouthful. "Really? That would be great. I was just going to ask my Zanpukto spirits but your help would be great. They're not exactly gentle when they teach me stuff."

"Don't mention it," captain Ukitake said, pouring himself a drink of grape punch. "It's been several hundred years since another Zanpukto pair came along."

"They're that rare?" Ichigo asked, peeking at his blades. "I didn't think it was that special. Ive seen people practice with them in the living world all the time back in they Dojo."

"Of course," captain Ukitake said, sipping the punch. "you are the third ever to have two spirits. Each blade represents one of your spirits."

For a second, it looked like Ichigo was about to say something, but then he closed his jaw, examining his blades again. He appeared to be in mental conversation, eyes blank, but snapped out of it a moment later. "So when do we start training?"

"After the party, if you're not too drunk," he offered and emptied the cup of punch into his mouth, then poured another one.

"Alright, seeya in the wasteland."

Captain Ukitake smiled and made his way to captain Kyoraku.

A drunk Rangiku wobbled her way over to Ichigo. "Heey there handsome… I thought he was going to hog you for the whole party… how about we go somewhere private so I can properly congratulate you…" She layed a hand on his jaw, then leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"R-Rangiku?" Ichigo stuttered, blushing like usual.

Rukia narrowed her eyes and stomped over to the pair. "Ichigo! How come you didn't wait for me when you left?! It's not charismatic to ditch a woman," she said and crossed her arms. If he seduces one more woman there'd be hell to pay.

"R-Rukia! Sorry! I didn't know this was happening!" he said in a rush of words.

"Awww don't be jealous Rukia… besides I'm sure I'm much more of his type. Just look at our hair." Rangiku said, giggling and pushing her large bosom onto his chest. "Right Ichigo?"

"A-Ah, I'm…" Ichigo stuttered, then swallowed as his eyes twitched towards Rukia's glare.

"You're what?" she said, drumming her fingers on the table. He could be the perfect actor when it came to hiding how much of pervert he became. Walking up to him, she drew her leg back to kick in his shins but familiar voice interrupted.

"Ichigo my son! Already moving on to greater heights I see! Gunning after my old lieutenant?" his wacky father exclaimed, hopping over with a Sake cup in hand.

"Oh hey captain, Didn't realize you were here. How's Toshiro doing?" Rangiku slurred out with a wave as she got off Ichigo—he sighed with obvious relief and scowled at his father.

Captain Shiba put on a grin before Ichigo's foot slammed into his face. "Rangiku! Did you know that Toshiro is dating my sister?!"

Rukia sighed and walked away from their exchange. A long time would pass till she hears the last of Toshiro and Karin.

Lieutenants Iba, Hisagi and Kira sat together at the corner of the gathering, keeping to themselves in quiet chatter. Though, they still ate and drank like typical men—that couldn't be changed, ever.

"It's kind of discouraging don't you think?" Hisagi said, scowling. "Kurosaki's on a whole different level. With him and the old head captain around, getting one of those captain spots will be impossible. They'll be expecting way more of us from now on."

"We brought it on ourselves. We were almost useless in that battle," Iba said between mouthfuls of beef.

Hisagi sighed, then blinked as Rukia approached. "You could always transfer to Ichigo's new squad," she said, a hand on her hip. "I bet he'd be more than willing to help you guys out." She smirked. That would boost his big-headed ego and then she'd have endless fun trading jabs with him.

Kira rose an eyebrow, putting down his fork and knife. "You didn't know? To be even acknowledged as an applicant for the zero squad, you have to be at least the level of a captain. Kurosaki's in charge of the Seireitei division but that one requirement won't change. I overheard captain Ukitake talk about it."

Rukia tilted her head in surprise, not having expected that stipulation. Captain level Souls were always rare and highly valued within the noble families, and none have been discovered in the Rukongai recently. Apart from those Vizards, it looked like there'd be a drought of captains for the next century, for the recent academy entrances have been woefully underwhelming the past decades. Ichigo would be alone in the barren wasteland for years—she'd just had to put in the effort to keep in from falling into his usual despair.

"I wonder what he will make his division about?" Iba said, catching Rukia's wandering attention. "He's in charge of at least that much right?"

"Well obviously…" Rukia said, deadpanning. "just look at all the land they gave him."

Hisagi blinked and put down his cup. "I think the Sake is getting to us… it's still the morning and I'm looking after the seventh without a captain still." He took a deep breath.

Someone nudged Rukia's arm. "Rukia, there's a SWA meeting this evening. Usual place," Nanao informed her with a slight blush—even she drank.

"Right, thanks. I'll be there," Rukia said and Nanao left after a nod.

Everyone was relaxing, and there was no reason not to. With Ichigo here along with the head captain, there was little motivation to train. She put on her best smile and wandered around the party, sipping from her cup of Sake.

* * *

In the scorching mid-day sun, Ichigo's barren wasteland of a division heated to an inferno he hadn't felt since the longest drought in Japan. It had rained in Karakura town at least once a fortnight, cooling the clinic during hectic days, but always reminded him of that pained night…

He grumbled, burying the train of thought before his despairs took over again, and refocused back on the lesson. Strangely, Ukitake didn't appear to mind the heat or even notice, his usual smile slapped across his pale features.

'Hey Tensa,' he said in his mind. 'Do you think we could do something about this place. You said you grew trees in my inner world.'

'Probably… though it will cost ya another orgy.' she replied and giggled.

'Soifon will kill us if we try that again, or tell everyone what happened dammit!'

'I wonder if Rangiku or Yoruichi have anything repressed… I bet they do.'

Ichigo swallowed and shook her off—Ukitake still waited for him to draw his blades ever since he finished shaping the arena. Earlier after the party, Ukitake fired some kind of wide kido, flattening a section of the rocky terrain into a perfect sparring square.

"Hey Ukitake, don't you think it's a bit dangerous for us to use our Zanpukto. We could cut each other or something," Ichigo called across their makeshift arena.

"Oh its fine. Between my Kido and your inner Hogyoku, I'm sure we can regrow any lost limbs.

"What that's insane! You can't just go around saying stuff like that."

Ukitake smiled, shrugging. "Just don't cut off a head or anything."

"What the hell," Ichigo mumbled, raising an eyebrow. That was not the normal Ukitake. "How much Sake did you drink?!"

"Hmm? Maybe a few cups."

Ichigo scoffed. A few cups! He had never tasted a stronger alcohol. He nearly choked when the burning liquid tore down his throat earlier.

"Don't worry," Ukitake called. "I've trained with more in me. Lets go!" He drew his Zanpukto—his single bladed Zanpukto. Before Ichigo could ask about his other blade, he began chanting a release. "All Waves, Rise now and Become my Shield, Lightning, Strike now and Become my Blade! Sōgyo no Kotowari!"

His Katana glowed a bright teal, then split into two identical blades as the light died down. A red, velvet rope connecting the blades at the hilts, loosely tied but not so long that it'll tangle while in a fight.

"How come your Zanpukto is sealed into one? Can I do that?" Ichigo asked.

Ukitake shrugged.

Ichigo deadpanned, drew both of his blades, and took a deep breath. As the first syllable left his mouth, a frantic Ukitake yelled from the other side of the arena. "Wait! Ichigo!" he exclaimed, waving his swords. "I doubt I'd survive if you released your Shikai."

Exhaling, Ichigo slumped and lowered his Zanpuktos. Testing out his new Shikai would have to come later—again. A flare of irritation rose within his stomach, but the elder captain had a point. He'd need to practice caution with his new power otherwise he'd have more issues than slicing mountains in half.

"Right," he said, dropping to a neutral stance. "So are we going to do some Katas?"

"Not quite," Ukitake said, smirking. "Lesson one with dual wielding… But I must first say, fighting with two blades is almost four times as difficult as with one. You have to master fighting with a single one in each hand, and then coordinate fighting with another blade with each hand."

Ichigo stared blankly as Ukitake's confusing explanation sank in. He nodded, letting him continue.

"So lesson one… dancing with two minds."

"What the hell is with the stupid name?!" Ichigo said. if anyone found about about these lesson—like Renji—he'd be the source of hilarity again.

Ukitake shrugged again. "Not sure, I'm making this up as I go along."

Ichigo glared at the drunk captain. "Right… Until you think of your Zanpukto as two separate entities moving in harmony and not just two swords moving together, you'll be stuck with cutting yourself probably."

Ichigo only furrowed his brow some more at his instruction, but smirked as memories of Urahara's training methods flashed across his eyes. Maybe that crazy scientist was trained by Ukitake. "Alright… I get it," he said and moved his Katana and Wakazashi in different styled strikes through the air at the same time, already taxing his multitasking ability.

"Great!" Ukitake chirped up and disappeared in a flash step, then reappeared in front of him with both of his blades angled at him in opposite slash patterns. Ichigo raised his swords and parried in a shower of sparks; however, his hand lagged by a second too late. The tip of Ukitake's Shikai nicked his bicep, drawing a trail of blood.

Before Ichigo could recover from the sting, Ukitake slashed at him again with with two different styled strikes. Barely blocking again, he prepared for another two parries as Ukitake readied another pair of slashes with an ever present smile.

As each pair of strikes came down, Ichigo gradually gained several small cuts from his own blades as well as Ukitake's. After a few minutes, each cut healed in a blue-purple glow, leaving perfect skin behind. It didn't even put a drain on his reserves.

'Tensa is that you?' he asked, shuffling backwards in a series of awkward blocks.

'Of course… Who else would it be?'

He frowned and returned his concentration to the spar, the most mentally taxing spar he ever had. It was like trying to put together pieces of awkwardly fitting puzzles at lightning speed one after the other.

"Good Ichigo, you're doing real well," Ukitake said. "When Shunsui and I made up this game it took a while to be able to do this with our eyes closed."

Eyes closed? Ichigo blinked as a blade tore through his bicep, barely feeling it. "Why would someone fight with their eyes closed?!"

"For the fun of it!" he said, eyes closed, but didn't stop his barrage of conflicting pairs of slashes.

Ichigo growled in irritation and kept up his puzzle-solving parries, but still received a cut every few seconds. It was going to be a long training session that he couldn't brute force his way through.

* * *

Many large printouts of Ichigo kurosaki were taped to the wall in a messy collage as the members of the Soul Reaper Women's Association examined them. Rukia couldn't help herself from staring at the high definition photos of her secret— whatever their current relationship would be called at the moment.

"Do you think we have enough to make the next magazine and photo album successful?" Nemu asked from her seat. Rukia took a curious glance at her. Even at the association meetings she'd act like her usual robotic self. She'd sometimes show more of an opinion and free will but still just didn't appear—alive.

"It should be enough…" Nanao said after a minute. "Though the ones of him with the black hair have his eyes closed—and his mouth is covered in bandages." Nanao pushed up her glasses, leaning closer to the photos. She picked up the one she was talking about and ran it though her computer from the world of the living. "I'll have to make some image adjustments. What color eyes do you think he has in that form?" she asked, glancing back at meeting.

"Blue."

"Black."

"Purple"

"White."

The women mumbled and chirped in a messy chorus while Yachiru went through every color of the rainbow. Rukia stood from her Chappy beanbag and looked over Nanao's shoulder. Moving the computer cursor over his closed eyes, Nanao magically opened them—though his pupils were colorless. She cycled through the color suggestions of the SWA but none appeared right to Rukia—as if she somehow knew what the answer was.

She hadn't seen that form before Ichgio's transformation the other day, and neither had any of the captains or lieutenants. Not even Urahara. But captain Shiba did have some suspicion what he had transformed into, though he didn't elaborate beyond a vague musing. Perhaps it would be Ichigo's new Bankai. He did wear his old Bankai after all—that stylish black and red Shihakshou.

Before she gave her suggestion, footsteps clicks down the hallway. Everyone tensed—last time when her brother discovered their meeting, everyone had to pay a rental fine. The payments hammered the year's budget and canceled a beach trip to the world of the living. There were many pained cries.

The door swung open and she sighed in relief as Yoruichi, captain Soifon, and Yuzu walked through the doorway.

"Sorry we're late," Yoruichi said, smiling. "Just wanted to say goodbye to Yuzu's family you know. And Soifon was real busy trying to not track down a cer—"

Soifon slapped a hand over her mouth. "I had to clean up a mess at the second division that my worthless lieutenant made."

Rukia sighed again and shot Soifon a thankful look, for Yoruichi was definitely about to quip suggestive comment about their sex party.

"Alright little bee…" Yoruichi trailed off and looked around the room along with Soifon, both meandering over to the wall of Ichigo photos. Yoruichi examined each portrait, grinning like usual, while Soifon trailed behind, apathetic as ever.

"Welcome back Yuzu," Nanao said, inclining her head. "How was your trip to the world of the living? Did the meeting with your brother go as planned?"

"Uuumm yeah I guess… I don't think he suspected anything wrong with me or karin… but he found out Toshiro was dating her," Yuzu recalled and scratched her head. "I hope he doesn't hurt Shiro, Karin will be upset."

Adorable. It was hard to believe that she was born into the Shiba family. "I'm sure that idiot won't do anything stupid. He'll get over it eventually," Rukia said, then gave her a light hug.

"Yeah… that's what Karin said," she said and looked around the room. "What's with Rangiku? Is she okay?" She walked over to her and poked her shoulder. Rangiku moaned and waved her away.

"Don't worry, she merely had a bit too much to drink earlier. I would heal her but it would be a good lesson for her not to have so much in the morning." Captain Unohana suggested with a dark smile. Rukia smirked at that.

"So what color do you think Ichi's eyes are in the photo Yuzu?" Yachiru chirped up from next to Nanao. Yuzu quickly twisted around and darted over to the computer very enthusiastically.

"When did Ichigo get black hair?" She asked with raised eyebrows. Rukia blinked in surprise but immediately remembered—Yuzu wasn't there when it happened.

"That was a few days ago when he woke up. He transformed before the captains managed to seal his power in his new Zanpukto." Rukia informed her in a sombre tone, she really didn't want to think about that day—the day they nearly had to permanently seal Ichigo.

Yuzu shrugged and played with the different color options, scrolling through the color wheel as Ichigo's eyes changed from one hue to the next.

Blue

Yellow

Orange

Red

Purple

Rukia blinked as a thread tugged at her mind. "Go back to the red." Yuzu did as she asked. "I think that's probably right. His Bankai coat was red on this inside and he does have a Hollow in him after all."

"What?!" Yuzu exclaimed.

Rukia snapped her eyes to her, remembering she didn't know about Ichigo's inner Hollow. Shit. This would take a while to explain; Rukia didn't even know the full details of it. "Back when I was taken to Soul Socie—"

Captain Unohana interrupted. "Your brother is very special Yuzu. He possesses the powers of both Hollows and Soul Reapers, it doesn't make him a Hollow but it might be a bit scary if he ever manifests those powers."

Yuzu stared at her for a minute. "Can I get the powers of a hollow too? Toshiro nearly died earlier and I wasn't strong enough to stop it from happening…" she trailed off and looked down.

"What?! How did captain Hitsugaya nearly die?!" every woman yelled at the same time.

Stepping back, Yuzu stuttered with a lip quiver.

Yoruichi flash stepped to her before more questions bombarded her. "Don't worry he's fine, Orihime healed him. Basically there was one of those Hollow attacks earlier and Toshiro didn't release his limiter because karin would have froze to death. We got there in time thankfully."

The room calmed down, and Nanao turned back to her computer.

"I'll have to report this to the head captain," captain Unohana said and flash stepped away.

A world of the living printer near Nanao's computer beeped as it spat out a photo of a black haired, red eyed Ichigo without any bandages. "Don't worry, I'm sure the captains will deal with it. And with our sexy new captain here I doubt it's nothing they can't handle—speaking of which, How does he look?" she said and held up his altered photo.

Rukia blushed as she took in his muscular chest.

"Wow that looks great—but doesn't look like Ichigo. Those ones on the walls look better!" Yuzu said along with an ensemble of positives and thumbs ups. Kiyone and Isane still didn't say anything but smiled with a thumbs up—still rather drunk from before but not as bad as Rangiku.

"Then it's settled. Ichigo Kurosaki will be dubbed as Seireitei's most eligible bachelor!" Nanao announced and brought out paperwork for the next magazine and captain photo collection.

Soifon spun around and glared at Nanao with a strange expression. A cold fissure of fear opened in Rukia's chest; whatever she was about to do or say would blow their cover. Dashing over to her, Rukia slapped a hand over her mouth and pulled her away in her best flash step. Luckily she didn't resist.

Rukia exhaled and Soifon punched a cherry tree. "Most eligible bachelor like fucking hell he is! That pervert!" she spat out and paced in the Kuchiki compound gardens.

Rukia smirked at her fluster. "You should be happy he's even interested in you—though I can take him off your hands if you like."

Soifon froze, spun around and pierced into her with narrow eyes. She opened her mouth but slowly shut her jaw, hardening her glare.

"No words? I thought you'd be happy to be rid of him—captain Soifon," Rukia jabbed again.

Soifon barred her teeth, eye twitching.

"So you are interested? Didn't think you had a fetish for perverts." It couldn't possibly be that easy to get under her skin—but it was.

Soifon growled into the air. "Aaarrhhh you're just as bad as lady Yoruichi," she hissed and disappeared in a flash step.

Rukia walked back to the woman's association to give a cover excuse for pulling her away—and inwardly grinned. She'd get her fair fill of fun out of Soifon if it meant she might have to share her idiot strawberry.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Sweat dripped off Ichigo's jaw as he concentrated his spirit energy into his outstretched palm—his dried, cracked palm. An impression of a red circle filled his mind as he squeezed his eyes shut, imagining the shade of red gradually darkening towards the center. More sweat rolled off his face and arms onto the grounds of his rocky division.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and fish—" he began but received yet another kick to the shin from his midget.

"Mask of blood and flesh idiot!" she corrected, sweat also dripping down her face.

"Arrrghhh! It's impossible in this heat!" he shot back, wiped his forehead and took a drink till his bottled emptied. As he found out, water was hard to come by in a desert, and since they didn't give his building a water supply he'd have to fill it from the drying river. "And it was easier to concentrate when Byakuya was teaching me!"

She narrowed her eyes and kicked him again, shifting his footing. Her kicks and punches didn't even register on his pain scale but still could catch him off guard like just then—though he didn't let his mental image slip. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh," he began again, raising the concentration of spirit energy in his palm. "All creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado 31 Shakkahō!"

A crimson ball grew in his hand, but exploded as his focus faded under the heat, covering him in soot. "Dammit!"

"Looks like you're just as bad as Renji at this."

"Whatever! I'm nothing like Renji!"

"Oh really?" she said, smirking. "No wonder brother got fed up with teaching you as well."

"Tch." She won that one, so he ignored her and darkened his scowl, then called to his sexy spirit. 'Tensa! Get out here and do something about this heat!'

'Can't make me, it's nice and cool in this lake. Your inner world is heating up just from being in this desert,' she trilled back within echoes of sloshing water.

Three days of furious training had passed in his wasteland they called a division, and Ukitake appeared to have an infinite resistance against the heat. He'd have to ask him about that sometime. Maybe it was Kido—the art Ichigo apparently sucked at. The low level Kido didn't take long to master but when the time came for the mid-twenties Kido, Byakuya lost all patience with him. Even Yamamoto found his unusual lack of control over spirit energy puzzling.

"Dammit to hell! Why do we have to train here anyway?!" He spat at no one in particular.

"It's your division…" she said, wiping off a sheen from her forehead. "Why don't you do something about it?"

He grumbled and took a seat on the edge of his paved courtyard a few meters next to her. "Can't you just use your Zanpukto or something?"

Her eyes dropped just a fraction, looking away. He must have said something wrong, but his question was logical and unoffensive, and wasn't even that insulting.

"Sode no shirayuki and I aren't nearly as close as you are to your spirits. It would by unwise to use her powers for such trivial means." She looked back into his eyes and punched his arm.

Ichigo inwardly cursed at himself. Of course that was it—she didn't even have her Bankai yet.

"What about your Hogyoku powers, pervert?"

"Not a pervert," he said and drew his Wakazashi, holding it out to her. "Here, see if you can make her do something."

Her features dropped. "Are you serious?"

"What? Of course, I can't make her do anything."

"Without turning into a pervert?" she asked after a moment, smirking.

"I'm not a pervert dammit!" He shook his head and sheathed it.

He still hadn't learned anything about her or her abilities, apart from being a horny little— "There might be something…" he trailed off, not wanting to tell Rukia his spirit's offer.

His spirit hadn't let up on the condition she laid in order to teach him how to use his Hogyoku powers—he didn't want to take advantage of Rukia or Soifon again, even though a part of him burned to do so. He sighed and took another drink—from his empty bottle. It looked like he had no choice though, it was either that or die from the heat out in his desert. He couldn't even raise his spiritual pressure to shield himself or Rukia would collapse just from standing by him. And finding someone else was definitely out of the question or he'd hurt his midget's feelings.

He turned to Rukia with his best smile, his best awkward as hell smile. "Rukia,"

She narrowed her eyes. "Yeah?"

Swallowing as sweat poured down his chin, he decided to tell Rukia about his deal with Tensa—maybe that way he'd avoid being branded as the biggest pervert in the Seireitei.

'You're not allowed to tell her,' Tensa added. He grimaced and crushed his bottle.

"What is it?" She asked, emphasising each syllable.

'Threesome please.'

"I'm not saying that!"

"…"

Ichigo blinked, realising she couldn't hear his spirit.

"Are you feeling alright?"

He let out a huge breath of hot air. He couldn't ask it. It was the hardest thing he ever had to do—harder than confronting Aizen. But the damn heat… "Want to have a threesome with my Zanpukto spirit?" he squeaked out, blood rushing up his cheeks. His question replayed in his head—a question straight from the mouth a sex-crazed pervert.

Rukia jerked back, eyes widening, then her cheeks reddened to a degree he hadn't seen before. "And why would I do that? Are you going to drug me again?"

He opened his mouth but no words could be formed, he swallowed and tried again with a rising blush. "R-Rukia It's ju-s—"

"Just that you're a horny pervert?" she finished for him and crossed her arms.

Tensa interrupted before he began his usual charade. 'Give her a kiss. She wants it.'

'Wha— really? But she's calling me a pervert here,' he countered, not sure on what to make of the situation. Tensa giggled, filling his head in echos of her silvery laughter.

"Hey strawberry! Hope you're not having a stroke from the heat."

Rukia's small, pink lips suddenly stood out against her pale skin. He inched towards her with the most graceful shuffling ever, his sheathed blades scuffing against the courtyard. She blinked. "I-Ichigo? Wha—" she began but he took hold of her jaw and brushed his lips against hers.

Her lips tasted of concentrated salt, filling his mouth with brine and harsh spittle. He pulled away and resisted every urge to spit or yell in disgust. Breaking contact, he shivered.

"Ichigo… You can let that stupid act drop when we're alone together."

It worked. His brows raised the smallest fraction in surprise—but was washed away by a warm sensation bubbling up from his chest as her sapphire eyes sank into him. He swallowed, then regretted it as the salt coated his throat for a quiet minute. A hesitant nod was all he gave her.

"And don't kiss me again till you take a bath," she said and punched him in the arm.

'What do I do now?' he called in his mind.

'Tell her exactly how much you want to fuck her.'

'Wha—'

'Do it or no deal.'

Either he'd be dead the next minute or he'd have done the impossible. "Arrhhhhh" He groaned and took a deep breath. "Rukia… You mean a lot—so much that I wouldn't know what I'd do if I lost you but right now…"

It was an impossible thing to say to her.

"Well?" Rukia said, nudging his arm. "Is there something the pervert in you wants to ask?"

Pulling at his hair, he cursed into the air and stood up. If he had to say that then he'd be done with it in an instant. He clamped his eyes shut. "RUKIA! I WILL FUCK YOU FAST AND HARD!" he yelled, then took a breath. "NOT JUST YOU BUT I WILL FUCK YOU AND MY PERVERTED SPIRIT TOGETHER AND FILL YOU UP TILL YOU CANT TAKE ANY MORE!"

Tena's laughter rang through his head in a deafening jingle as Rukia's jaw dropped. Cold dread seeped though his chest as a recording of what he shouted looped in his head.

The minutes ticked by as sweat ran down their faces.

She deadpanned and kicked his side, shifting his balance by less than an inch. "Is that the heat talking or did you not get enough of me the other day you pervert?" she said and drank from her bottle. "And I'm not going to let you fuck me like that again… UNTIL YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS HEAT!" She tossed her bottle at him. It bounced off his head then clunked onto the courtyard.

Ichigo sighed in relief and offered his spare flask. She snatched it with a growl. "Are you happy now Tensa?" he asked aloud, backing away from Rukia's growing glare.

'Yup, for now at least,' she and materialised—no, she didn't just materialise alone this time. Her Hollow counterpart appeared as well in a pillar of black and red Reishi, already scowling as beads of sweat began forming on his stark-white skin. His blue-haired spirit posed naked with a hand on her hip, body glowing with sweat. He leaned towards her in rising lust.

Face tensing, Rukia transferred her glare over to his spirit, receiving a wink in response. "Are you excited? Rukia?" Tensa asked then giggled.

"Hpmh… And why aren't you wearing anything this time?" Rukia said, a tick forming on her forehead.

Minor worry creeping up Ichigo's neck, he looked back and forth between the two, hoping they wouldn't start fighting. They'd have to get a long for the threesome to work out, or for anything to work out. Otherwise Tensa would use her powers on her, and he'd never put Rukia through that again.

"Oh it's so hot out here and I lose my clothes whenever I'm around Ichigo nowadays anyway. He pins me down and gives it to me every night now… I have to go for a swim just to clean myself off," Tensa explained much to Ichigo's dismay.

A whimper escaped his lips. His reputation with Rukia… ruined.

Rukia barfed up a disgusted noise at him. "Soifon was right… You are a massive pervert," she said, shooting a look of disdain for several seconds. He could only give her an awkward, goofy smile and scratch his head. She stayed silent but shifted her gaze to his other spirit as her features relaxed. "So is that Zangetsu or your Hollow?"

Ichigo took a breath, not sure on how to put it. Even he didn't know what was going on with the two—the three now. "Well…" he began in a weak voice and glanced to his spirit. "Back when I was training in the Dangai before I fought Aizen, my Hollow and Tensa Zangetsu merged into one that represents all of my power or something."

His Hollow spirit tilted his head. "I am Tensa Zangetsu. That is all."

"Yeah whatever… just don't listen to him too much or you'll get a headache." Ichigo said and shrugged his greeting off.

Rukia took another sip of his flask. "I se—"

Sticking out a tongue, Tensa cut her off with a wave. "Didn't know you had eyes."

Rukia huffed and tossed the flask at her.

A small beam of purple Reishi shot through the bottle from his spirit's fingertip and disintegrated Rukia's clothing, leaving her sweaty pale form bare to see. Ichigo couldn't take his eyes off her body and took an involuntarily step.

"Stay where you are you idiot pervert and keep it in your pants," she said and turned to his spirit. "So what are you going to do about this?" she asked, sweat rolling down her shiny, petite behind.

Oh he'd tackle her to the ground right here if she'd allow it.

"Hpmh. Can't wait to get a handful of my Ichigo?" Tensa said and ran her hand down his side.

Before Rukia could retort, both spirits released their spirit energy in a glow—his half Hollow radiated white-blue and perverted spirit with purple-white. "Ichigo. Imagine what you would like to turn this place into and we'll do the rest with our combined power," she said, then smirked. "I'll tell you more about it later depending how well you satisfy us."

Lustful glee lifted his cheeks, and Rukia turned her glare on him again.

With closed eyes, he focused on the first image that entered his mind. The scenery solidified and an abrupt pull on his spirit energy reserves tugged at his inner snowflake. White light filled his vision as the energy pull grew, then a large chunk of his reserves were siphoned when unplugged more triangles. Opening his eyes, the flow gently ceased as his energy well refilled.

He blinked in amazement. It worked again.

Standing in a field of tall grass at the edge of the courtyard, the shade of trees much like those in his inner world shielded him from the desert sun. Shallow water sparkled near his feet as his gaze swept a mile-wide crystal lake, deep blue a meter beyond the edge. A line of trees and grass surrounded the lake, but the barren wasteland remained between the gaps.

Rukia looked around with obvious wonder, and then dove into the water with her glistening, naked body. His Hakama bulged at the sight. "So you actually did something useful for once, strawberry…" she called to him with a one of her rare smiles. He'd like to see that smile more often, even if it meant bending himself to her will once in a while.

Lust talked on it's own before he could stop himself. "You'll be screaming out something different in a minute midget."

"Wha—" she stuttered, but her features lazed seconds later. "Looks like someone really did break my strawberry." She continued swimming, eddies and waves around by her form.

Blushing, he blanked for a reply, for his prude self kicked in again. He'd need to work on that; however, the prude act would be needed as a cover like the party the other day. He'd have thrown himself onto Rangiku if she didn't pull away.

"Well looks like time for little Ichigo to wake up." His naked spirit said and also dove into the water to swim alongside Rukia.

"Yeah… whatever," he mumbled, though a spark of anticipation ignited in his waist. Taking them both at once instead of his usual nights with his spirit was too good to be true—but he'd never say that aloud. He began taking off his shihakshou and underclothes with a grin.

"Is there something you would like to ask us, Rukia Kuchiki?" his Hollow spirit called from behind.

Rukia paused her strokes. "Wait, you can—"

"Indeed," he replied, face blank.

Twisting around, Ichigo's skin tingled in uncanny amazement. He had never thought his spirits were so connected, like they were one. He jerked straight as the question finally registered, then peeked back at Rukia. She floated atop the sparkling water, her petite form hard to not stare at.

"Ichigo…" she said. "There is something I'd like to ask your spirits after our little fun together—alone."

"Why can't you just ask me?"

She didn't respond.

"You're not going to do it with my Hollow—"

"No you idiot, you're the perv here remember!" she snapped, losing balance on the water for a second. "I just want to ask them something."

Scowling, he glanced back at his Hollow spirit, then to his blue-haired spirit, who swam in silent strokes down the shoreline. Trying to decipher what she'd do with them, he grumbled and kicked a stone into the water. Did she want something with the Hogyoku? It could grant desires after all, but he had that power now too.

"Very well, consider wisely or you will live to regret it," his Hollow spirit said.

"Hey! You cant just go around answering for me!"

"I just did," he said with a smirk and dematerialized.

"Mmhmm," Tensa chirped from next to Rukia then whispered in her ear.

"Rukia…" Ichigo said, hardening his expression. He scowled at her—as best as he could without blushing under the view of her petite form.

The minutes ticked away.

"Rukia."

More silence. She still floated without expression. "Rukia, if you don't tell me, then I— I'll have to to fuck it out of you." he threatened, feeling awkward as hell.

She glanced at him with a small smile and kept floating as if nothing had happened. He groaned in defeat—he'd have to trust his spirits not to hurt her. They were part of his soul after all. "Dammit, Rukia… I hope you know what you're doing." He took off his underclothes and dove into the water.

* * *

Rukia had relaxed in Ichigo's oasis for several minutes, fiddling with her silky Shihakshou that his spirit had conjured for her. The leaves overhead swayed as the minutes passed, silent as a snowy night. Only the gentle swish of water flowing past Ichigo's horny spirit rang into the small field that she lay in. Her white-haired other half stood on a branch of an out of place pine tree, looking over the barrens, his expression unchanging. She still hadn't figured out how he could be so calm when he had a Hollow influence.

Several more minutes passed she finalised her decision—a decision that she couldn't turn back from. But perhaps his spirit could reverse it if she lost her resolve one day.

"Nope, you'll be changed for good. Unless you want to turn into a butterfly—then it could be reversed easily," his blue-haired spirit said, floating in the lake.

"Please not a butterfly," Rukia said, smirking. "I'd hate that."

"Hmph strange… that's what Ichigo said before."

"When was that?" Rukia asked, letting the diversion continue, buying as much time as she could.

"Hmmmm I forgot…" she mumbled. "So, you made your decision yet?"

She exhaled and sat up, her eyes flickering back and forth between his two spirits. They were the oddest pair she'd seen in a century, yet they didn't argue or show any disdain for each other. "How long do we have?" she asked, attempting to stall. "Aren't you two going to dematerialize if he gets too far or something?"

"Nope," she said and flashed a grin. "I don't feel a drain on all our reserves, so we could stay out even if he was twice as far."

Of course they could. Ichigo could do anything now, even grant her what she was about to ask for. They both already knew obviously, but she still had to say or think it just to confirm some details. It didn't matter how it would anyway, because she had to do it if she was to ever stand beside Ichigo in battle without fainting at his spiritual pressure. "What if people notice. We're not that far from the capital after all." Another stalling attempt.

"Mr mysterious over there can put up a dome of Reishi to block the shock waves," she answered again. "Ichigo will feel something though." She began whistling a merry tune, then backstroked through the water, forming a cone-like wave pattern behind her.

Rukia glowered. It was now or never. She stood up and took a breath to calm herself.

"You do realize what I am, correct?" his Hollow spirit asked, staring out into the barrens still.

As if he didn't know. "Karin was training yesterday when Ichigo asked me to check up on her the other day. Captain Shiba explained everything when I returned," she answered in a sombre tone and went over the previous day in her mind to let him see—a memory that started at Ichigo's house. Karin and Toshiro weren't home so she flashed to Urahara's shop to check up on them. No one was inside but there were two spiritual pressure sources coming from the underground pocket dimension—one was a quincy, and it was Karin's.

"Quincy powers can only be granted to a soul by two individuals who currently exist," he said, glancing at her. "One of them is Ichigo and I do not possess the necessary requirements to do so without him."

Ichigo didn't even know about his Quincy side yet and it wasn't her place to tell him. Captain Shiba insisted on revealing the big secret at just the right time—for dramatic effect, but also in concern for how Ichigo would take it. She sighed again. Option one ruled out, leaving just the other.

"You sure you wanna do this? Your Hollow form might turn out real ugly especially with my influence added in… I'd hate it if Ichigo doesn't want to have sex with you anymore." His beautiful spirit called as she floated on the late.

A stab of panic shot up Rukia's neck when she Hollow form. Breathing again, she shook off the worry as well as the fluster from the sex comment. It's now or never, she repeated to herself. Watching Ichigo on the sidelines during every battle in the coming thousand years just wouldn't do, bust still… She'd be a Hollow. A beast. A monster.

Letting the fact sink in for many more minutes, she glanced to his patient spirits in thanks. And they had time after all. Ichigo took forever with his dual wield training sessions—hopefully her transformation would have finished by the time he noticed something had happened.

A memory played before her eyes of Ichigo saving her in Las Noches, saving her against Yammy's giant fist. She would have been killed right then if he hadn't intervened or was two seconds late. Mere luck saved her life, not because of her strength or even his, but pure luck. She nearly died… and Ichigo would have been there to see her mangled, broken body. She swallowed the spike of pain and breathed.

Hardening her jaw, she stood and nodded towards the half-Hollow, mind made up. This wasn't just for her now, because if she died her Ichigo would no doubt drown in despair. This was for him just as much—though he wouldn't see it that way.

Both spirits vanished and appeared in front of her, his Hollow spirit now Hollowfied into a demonic creature. "Prepare youself, for this will be unlike anything you've experienced," he said, voice layered and menacing.

Rukia nodded and steadied her resolve despite a well of fear urging her to run from the most powerful Hollow in existence. "Will I be like the visords?" She had to ask. Another few seconds of delay wouldn't hurt.

"Nope," his counterpart answered. "You'll be far more perfect in every way possible."

"Wai—"

"Don't worry, you'll still look normal in your base form," she answered before Rukia could ask. "Most of your power will be sealed into your blades like Ichigo. I'm a genius, right?"

Rukia huffed. "Right."

"Though that does mean you'll need to get it out of Sode somehow."

"I wouldn't expect anything else from her," Rukia said and nodded for them to begin. Sode no shirayuki still hadn't made any final comments like usual.

"You know what to do," the demonic Hollow said, sending shivers down her arms.

Taking a final breath, she let her desire to stand with Ichigo fill her entire, tinged with her need to protect him and everyone else. She nodded a final time.

The Hollow flooded the field in a burst of red spirit energy while his counterpart engulfed her in purple-blue light. Power greater than anything she ever held filled her core, impossible to contain, impossible to even grasp—the raw spirit energy rose to levels many folds greater than anything she could summon at her best. To think it was only a fraction of what Ichigo had was unimaginable.

The torrent of light and Hollow energy continued pouring into her till she lost count of the seconds passing. As the torrent died down, the technique the academy taught for controlling spiritual pressure was rendered useless. The wooden wall holding back the lake that represented her spirit energy burst, releasing a deluge of spiritual power into her surroundings, freezing the oasis into a frosty wonderland. She'd have to use Ichigo's new technique he mentioned earlier.

And his spirits didn't even appeared affected in the slightest by the drain.

"Relax, we'll look after you," his blue-haired spirit said, supporting her shoulders. "Relax."

A Hollow energy grew at the center of her body. Her eyes darted to her chest. A Hollow's hole grew just under her collarbones, empty, cold. Colder than anything in existence, as if nothing in her chest could move the smallest distance without freezing to a stop. Lifting a hand to her chest, she collapsed to the ground as white goo burst out of her mouth and right eye. Laying on the ground and staring up to the blank faces of his spirits, she blacked out.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The eighth division training grounds were much like Ichigo's courtyard, except lines of bonsai trees separated hundred meter sparring squares from each other. It would be a shame if he destroyed some of them. The fine details of the leaves engraved a green tint into his eyes as his mind wandered back to his own little oasis at the zero division. All Rukia revealed was she wanted the power to protect like he did—only she didn't say to what lengths she'd go to get it.

A heavy scowl grew as usual. He should have stayed with her—that's if he had a say in the matter, for his horny spirit shooed him away in a purple burst of teleportation right into Kyoraku's office. He'd have to punish her for that later, punish her hard.

Kyoraku flashed in front of him, grinning under that straw hat. A swing of a large scimitar across his hairline brought him out of his trance. Parrying with a quick flick of his Katana, he sidestepped and shuffled away from the line of bonsai.

"Something on your mind?"

"Just admiring your plants, that's all," Ichigo said and slashed at him with opposing styles as he had practised with Ukitake.

Parrying the strikes with easy, Kyroaku backstepped and sunk into his shadow.

Ichigo inhaled and swivelled his gaze across the paving. Kyoraku insisted that he use his Shikai as part of his training despite possessing a sealed Daisho pair. It became painfully obvious why when the spar started. The old captain's approach was the least predictable fighting style Ichigo had fought against, and his Shikai abilities synergised perfectly.

Kyoraku rose out of Ichigo's shadow, blades in hand.

Hissing, Ichigo jolted away as his scimitar tore through his calf muscle. The last second flash step barely saved him from losing the foot. "Not much of a fair fighter eh?"

"My my, why would you ever think such a thing," he said, chuckling.

"I don't know, maybe because you're a captain and Ukitake's friend?"

"That's quite the assumption," he said seriously, inclining his head. "How was the training with Jushiro?"

Wrinkling a brow, Ichigo mentally revised the training with Ukitake. The first two days were an absolute torture of cuts and gashes, but thankfully eased after a night training with his spirits. He'd be on even grounds with Kyoraku, but he fought nothing like Ukitake, almost as if—

"By that expression you have… should I assume you've figured it out?" he asked, smirking and relaxing his stance.

Ichigo grinned in response, letting up an inch as well, but still kept up his guard—the captain was unpredictable, he reminded himself. "Yeah… You use your Katana as a distraction and your Wakazashi for killing blows. It's nothing like the lessons with Ukitake."

"You're right," he said, grinning again. "This is lesson two… I don't really have a name for it." He paused, taking a long look at his scimitar pair. "You know the importance of treating your blades individually, but you have no strategy. It's as if two people are fighting together side by side, doing their own thing."

Ichigo glanced at his swords. He was right—there was no strategy to his barrage of swings, if randomness wasn't counted as a strategy. He hadn't used any strategy in any of his battles, except that one time against Renji, and even then brute force won in the end. "Yeah, you're right…"

"Until you figure out a fighting style that suits yourself," Kyoraku said, tone dark as his hat-covered eyes. "You'll never be able to defeat me without brute force."

Ichigo checked his spiritual pressure, making sure it's on par with Kyoraku's, and examined his Zanpuktos. The pair had straight blades of standard width, tip, guard and hilt. Only the pitch black finish and above average lengths stood out. A smirk spread across his lips. He'd have to use that to his advantage, even against the larger size of the scimitars. "Yeah, I get it. They're separate yet they're the same. Am I right?"

"Now you're getting it," Kyoraku said and disappeared in another flash with a flurry of slashes and stabs. His larger scimitar swung at him with several wide arcs—easy to dodge and parry, but his shorter blade cut through the air it left behind with many deadly stabs. In a matter of seconds Ichigo suffered many shallow cuts to his arms without giving Kyoraku any in return. Every single one of his random strikes were dodged or parried in an instant despite keeping at maximum distance of his swords.

Kyoraku smirked and gestured to the lines of bosai with his blade. "Watch out, you're getting close to my lovely trees."

"Then you shouldn't have put them there dammi—"

"Kageoni!" He declared and stabbed both scimitars through his shadow.

Dark blades shot up from Ichigo's shadow aimed at his ankle, slicing together in a cross-cut. He flash stepped out of the way at the last moment yet again. He growled, anger boiling in his stomach. This spar was the least honourable fight he'd ever been in—and it was with one of the eldest captains of all people.

Grimacing, he raised both blades to shoulder level and charged spirit energy into the edges. "Getsuga…!" he began, then flash stepped behind Kyoraku and smirked. "Juujisho!" he finished and released a cross shaped black wave of Reishi—a new technique his perverted spirit taught him as a reward for pleasuring her each night. She had said the attack would be twice as powerful as his normal Gestuga Tenshou.

Kyoraku glanced at the incoming wave and sunk into his own shadow again, leaving Ichigo's attack to scrap across ground, digging two shallow indents. The black cross dissipated against the Kido barrier.

"Grrrrr dammit!" Ichigo shouted and fired random Getsugas into the court. Arcs of black and indigo scuffed against the paving, but none hit the flamboyant captain.

Kroyaku rose up from the clocktower's shadow threw razor tornado at him.

Ichigo raised his Katana, focusing spirit energy on the edge to cut through the razor wind.

As the tornado spun towards him, a significant pull on his inner snowflake ate away over a half of his reserves. The shock of the sudden drain dropped him to one knee, leaving him panting as the tornado disintegrated his left arm from the elbow down. His Wakazashi clunked on the ground.

"Ichigo!" Kyoraku exclaimed and flash stepped next to him. "What happened? I didn't put much into that." He examined his arm with a lift of his hat.

His stump of an arm stopped bleeding in a dull ache and reformed in a burst of purple spirit energy and white goo. "I think," he said, then shook his head as he tested out his arm. Something must have happened over at the zero division with Rukia.

'Tensa! What's happening?!' he called out across their mental link and looked towards the direction of his division.

'Nothin! Everything's fine!' she said. Ichigo grumbled in worry and sheathed his Zanpukto pair.

"Something happened over at your division… and if I were to guess then I'd say it's something to do with lieutenant Kuchiki," Kyoraku said, took a seat and pulled out a Sake flask from his Shihakshou.

His uncharacteristic intuition was startling as usual. It would take many decades to get used to. "Kyoraku… I…"

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Kido lessons doesn't take all afternoon and evening," he said, then chuckled and took a drink.

Ichigo nearly facepalmed at their carelessness. Hopefully no one would suspect anything too much going on between them. But it appeared that everyone who mattered already had a good idea of what would happened based on past event. He'd just have to make sure nothing more slips.

"Kyoraku, I think I better go check. Rukia was really serious about…" he trailed off, not sure of the end of that sentence.

"Oh? I think it's pretty obvious. She's back at your seemingly empty division while your spirit energy drops for no apparent reason." He took another drink. "Either a lieutenant somehow put up a fight against your power, even in your sealed state… or…" he trailed off with a grin.

Ichigo twisted in alarm towards the sly captain. "You figured out all of that just from a couple of hints?" he asked, jaw dropping.

Kyoraku smiled under his hat. "You can't be a captain for several hundred years without becoming somewhat aware…"

That may have been true, but it still didn't change how much of a laze he was. Ichigo couldn't help himself but to take a jab at him. "Yeah… I just hope I'm not as lazy as you by then though."

The old captain chuckled and took another drink—as if his throat didn't burn from the harsh alcohol. "You must be dying to go check on her aren't you. We can continue tomorrow, if you'd like" His mouth hardened into a line. "Though take it easy on your new powers. Central forty-six is getting edgier by the moment, they've never had anyone they couldn't order around before."

Ichigo huffed and turned to leave. A nod was all he gave in thanks before rushing off in his fastest flash step without needing to release. The rooftops passed under his feet in an unrecognisable blur as the possibilities played out to him. The Hogyoku could unlock someone's potential, or at least help that person achieve it in subtle direction… but what was Rukia's potential? An anxious needle in his chest told him it wasn't as high as she hoped it would be.

A mocha skinned ex-captain appeared along side him in lithe flash steps. "Going somewhere, Mr. Bachelor?" Yoruichi asked, sneaking in a sly smirk.

That was what the damn women's association dubbed him as the other day. It spread through the entire Seireitei capital like a disease—he couldn't even walk past a group of soul reapers without being giggled at by all the women or teased at from the more daring men.

"This isn't the time!" he shouted, barely audible with wind raging around their bodies.

"Oh? Late for another fuck-fest?"

"No! That's not happening again!" he lied as best as he could.

"Do I get to join in this time?"

Ichigo blinked and looked at her, not sure what just went through her head. She couldn't be serious right? "Yo-Yoruchi… It's no—"

"Cut the act you horny pervert… I'm still disappointed about before.

"B-Before?"

She rose an eyebrow. "You know, your Bankai training?"

An image of a hundred blades sticking out of the ground flashed across his eyes. "Oh…"

"It could have been our last moments alive you know and you left a woman hanging," she said, shooting him a pout.

Ichigo blinked a few times as the last remaining buildings passed under them. He scratched his head but still couldn't dig up the memory she was going on about. She laughed as his face contorted in confusion. "You already forgot? Perhaps it would help if I… transformed in front you again." She lifted her shirt to just under her breasts, mere inches from exposing her large chest.

A memory of himself relaxing in a spa at their underground training area passed through his mind—with a very naked, steamy Yoruichi sitting cross legged. His cheeks heated up and his eyes trailed down her tight outfit. "Maybe later, I have to get to Rukia right now," he said in defeat. No point in hiding how much of a deviant he had become.

This time Yoruichi blinked a couple times at him. She regained her composure after a few seconds and gave him another sly grin. "Hmph… Am I not good enough for you?"

He sighed and clamped down on his rising lust for the exotic beauty next to him. "Rukia asked for my Hogyoku powers earlier to unlock her powers… something about needing the power to protect like I do…" he trailed off with a growing scowl. An imagine of a white butterfly version of Rukia filled his mind. He didn't know whether to laugh or curse.

"There are captain positions that need to be filled," Yoruichi said, her face serious as his. "as long as she doesn't turn into a butterfly it should be fine."

He grumbled in response and picked up the pace in silence, leaving Yoruichi behind.

Within a few minutes, the outskirts of the Seireitei capital flashed by, morphing into to the forests of the wilderness. A herd of deer frantically made way for him when his spiritual pressure alerted them to his presence—he blinked in surprise at there being animals in the afterlife, though it now made sense at where they got the meat for the party the other day.

A significant temperature drop brushed his skin as the forests thinned and revealed his barren division. The cracked, stony ground had been coated in thicker and thicker ice as he stepped closer towards his oasis—which was now covered in snow and ice. It was unbearably cold, colder than anything he ever felt, and it only kept getting worse as he made his way to where he left Rukia and his spirits. He raised his spiritual pressure around him as a shield.

"Rukia?!" He called out into the frozen oasis, his heart beating faster with each step.

Yoruichi arrived next to him then looked around with twists of her head, her purple bangs fluttering at the corner of his eye. "You created this place?" She asked, eyes widened by the smallest inch.

He nodded and trudged through the snow and ice on his courtyard. His small field at the edge was empty, unlike the frozen lake. The ice glowed in a light blue sheen under the descending sun, and the scene unfolding over it nearly stopped his heart. He flash stepped towards the trio.

"Rukia…" he said, reaching his shaking hand out to her. Her skin was stark white, like a Hollow mask, and covered in a thin coat of crystal ice and mist. She struggled against purple Reishi bindings, highlighting a gaping hole in her chest and mouthless mask—a sleek mask with a single dark blue marking running down the side. Angled slits revealed her glowing sapphire-black eyes. Long, silver hair framed her form and glistened in mist.

His spirits watching with almost bored expressions. "What the hell did you two do to her?!" Ichigo demanded, waving his arm. Yoruichi rushed over to Rukia and checked her vitals. She glanced back and give him a worried look.

"Only what she asked for," His Hollow spirit said and dematerialised.

"It's for the best," Tensa added. "You have to admit she's way prettier with that hair." She fired a couple more bindings at Rukia. Her thrashing slowed as she looked at Ichigo, glowing blue eyes pierced into him.

"Why the fuck is she Hollowfying?! I thought you were going to just unlock her potential dammit!"

"Wha— Who's Hollowfying?" Tensa said and looked around the frozen lake.

Yoruichi looked back and forth between him and his spirit. "Are you sure she's sane?"

"Of course I'm sane."

"No! You're not!" Ichigo bellowed.

"Yes, I am."

"No-" Ichigo had enough. Rukia would be turned into a Visored like he had been and have to deal with the shit of an inner Hollow. His blood raged in thumps through his temples as he tackled Tensa onto the ice. A fierce growl erupted through his teeth. "Tensa Zangetsu! You will return her to normal! or else."

Yoruichi glanced back at him. Her mouth opened but closed a second later when Ichigo glared at her.

"But she is normal… Did you hit your head again Ichi?" Tensa asked, flashing him a sweet smile and tapping his head.

His vision darkened in a shade of red. "ARRHHHHH! Last chance!" he roared, then ripped off her see-through dress and narrowed his eyes. He still hadn't matched her power or skill in spars, so this had to be the only way to get anything out of her—through rough and forceful fucking.

She whistled and looked past him up into the sky. He pinned both her wrists over her head in one hand, then roughly fondled her large breast and squeezed her nipple gently. "TURN HER BACK TO NORMAL NOW!" He yelled into her face, hot blood pumped through his neck in a mix of fury and lust.

"Don't tell me you're going to do that right in front of me… Ichigo?" Yoruichi asked from behind.

He ignored her and started stroking her clit. She kept whistling.

"You asked for it," he said and forced his tongue into her mouth, roughly kissing her and savouring her sweet taste—much sweeter than Rukia. He made a mental note not to ever let that slip.

"No wonder Soifon's so obsessed—she has a secret thing for hot perverts you know?"

Consumed with lust again, he glanced to her before his self control kicked in. "I'll get to you after I'm done here." He turned his attention back to his spirit. He ripped off his own clothes and resumed fondling her with a deep kiss.

* * *

A sprinkle of snow fell in Rukia's inner world, covering the frozen rivers, lakes and pine trees in fluffy white ice. It had snowed in this world since the first time she visited during her academy days, and the current weather resembled what it was like back then.

She sighed and wandered down a snow covered path between lines of pine. "Sode no shirayuki? You there?" she called into the air. "I've got Chappies…"

No response, only the gentle crunching of her sandals against the fluffy ice. The serene landscape calmed her somewhat despite Ichigo's spirit's reassurance. However, only recently an endless blizzard subsided, a blizzard that haunted her long nights at the Kuchiki manor ever since she killed Kaien. She shook her head, discarding the depressing thoughts, and picked up a Chappy plushy lying on the ground.

"Ive got a Chappy for you…" she called again and waved the plushy.

"Rukia…" the soft voice of her spirit rang from behind—but it wasn't exactly her voice. It had a cutting edge much like Ichigo's Quincy-Hollow spirit. She turned and nearly dropped the plushy. A sleek Hollow mask covered the left side of Sode's face, ending in a jagged, crooked line just before her nose. An angled eye hole revealed a glowing blue pupil in black sclera.

She held out her hand and gestured for the plushy. "Well… are you going to hand it over?"

Rukia smiled as her heart slowed back down—Sode no shirayuki was still the same as usual. She reluctantly handed over the Chappy and looked around the forest floor for another. They were rare in her inner world, sometimes she'd find a plushy or giant stuffed animal or trinket even but that one Chappy was especially cute.

That was the only one unfortunately. She took a breath and looked back to her inner spirit—Ichigo was probably on his way and would freak if he saw her Hollowfication. "So how are we going to do this? Was the Chappy enough?" she asked, hoping her spirit would be easy on her this time.

"No… but its really simple," Sode began, playing with the plushy. "However I'm still annoyed over that Blizzard that lasted for decades." She looked up with mismatching eyes and put the Chappy away in her white robes—her new robes that made her look like a princess.

With a quick wave, Sode summoned a large, icy mirror, billowing in mist. Rukia swallowed as memories of that night played before her in a misty illusion—the night she took Kaien's life just to save her own. It wasn't her fault they said, it had to be done according to her captain—and even captain Shiba didn't blame her one bit.

"What's with the lingering guilt? Aren't you over him?" Sode said, her voice sharp.

"Of course, but its just—"

The mirror shattered under a wave of ice. Rukia flashed stepped out of the way and looked backed to her spirit. The normal half of her face glared at her. "Don't you have a new guy now?" She crossed her arms. "And you don't even need to start an affair this time."

Rukia growled and clenched her fists. "What— It wasn't an affair! We didn't do anything!"

"Hmmmph," she mumbled, staring her down.

Kaein was married of course, and they were dangerously close to starting an affair. Miyako had given her suspicious looks but smiled it off in the end, probably just wanting Kaien to be happy, even if it was without him or sharing him—just like what she had to do at the moment with Ichigo. She grimaced at their now two-time orgies.

"It wasn't an affair," Rukia said again.

"As you usually say. But you've already went all the way this time haven't you?" she asked, half smirking.

Rukia inwardly groaned for forgetting—of course her spirit knew. They shared the same soul after all and only represented different manifestations of their single being. Though she still infuriated Rukia at times, and not mentioning that she had to share all her Chappies as well. "So what? It's that pervert's fault for abusing his powers anyway." She rolled her eyes.

"Abuse of powers? Is that kind of like what's happening now?" Sode said, raising an eyebrow. "Hmmm?"

"It had to be done," Rukia said, her tone hardening. "I'm just looking out for our wellbeing so that idiot doesn't accidentally kill us." Which was true, somewhat, for her brother said her arm had been broken the other day thanks to Ichigo's carelessness. Perhaps she'd be able to heal herself with her new Hollow influence.

"And you're willing to go to these lengths to do it?" Sode asked after a minute, voice dropping to a sad whisper, then sighed. "If only you trusted yourself, you'd have realised the true potential your soul." She drew her blade and charged her spirit energy in a glow of white mist.

Rukia took a step back and drew her own matching sword. "Wait I thought you said it was simple."

"It is." She dashed at her in a uppercut of ice and snow.

Rukia flashed out of the way, focused her spirit energy into a tight concentration, and held her Zanpukto upside-down. "Some no mai, Tsukisiro!" Drawing a large circle under Sode, Rukia unleashed a pillar of ice.

Hollowfied spirit disappeared in an unfamiliar buzz, dodging Rukia's frozen tomb by many meters. "It's Sonido. Much easier to use than a Flash Step but only effective if your instincts are strong enough." With a flick of her blade, she released another wave of ice, twice as large as the last.

Rukia dodged again, hopping to the side in a clumsy flash step.

Her spirit appeared behind her in another buzz and thrust forward to impale.

She parried the blow two inches from her chest, the force flinging her bakwards.

"I thought you wanted to settle this quickly," Sode said, half-frowning.

Rukia also furrowed her brow and fired her own wave of ice. "Then I'll just have to do exactly that!" She readied her next followup, shaping her spirit energy into four channels. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" she yelled, stabbing the ground four times then firing a beam of snow and ice along with another wave of ice for good measure.

Unalarmed and still, Sode stared at the avalance till the ice neared to within a few meters, then pointed her index finger towards the centre of the deluge. A pitch-black ball of Reishi grew at her fingertip. "Cero Oscurus," she muttered and fired an incredible rush of black ice.

The Cero eclipsed and disintegrated Rukia's feeble attack and tore through the lines of pine, throwing splinters of wood into the air under the Hollow pressure.

"What the—" Rukia whispered, and flashed stepped out of the way, breathing through tremors of fear on the branch of a frozen tree. She glanced behind her and swallowed as the black Reishi dissipated. The Cero left a wide, several mile long frozen trail of broken trees and dirt. A large, stuffed Chappy was suspended in a block of ice.

Her spirit appeared in front of her with another buzz. "Awwww…" she said, flashing a small half-pout. "Look at what you've done to that Chappy… It's all your fault." She lunged forward for another stab.

Rukia parried again with Shaking hands and flashed away, glaring at her crazy spirit. "Are you trying to kill me?! Is it because you're a Hollow now?!"

"Oh I just didn't want you to wreck my pretty new dress," she said, now smiling. "I would've had to wait till we both unlocked our Bankai to get it you know." Raising her blade, she released an avalanche of ice, crashing down on Rukia.

Another last second flash stepped saved her from being frozen in place. She clenched her jaw and calmed her breathing. Defeating her spirit would be impossible now—Sode transcended to a completely different level thanks to the Hollowfication. Her spiritual pressure couldn't even be sensed anymore. "What is it that I have to do here?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Her high pitched laugh rang through the frozen treetops. "Oh I just have to stab you through the chest with this sword here so that our new power stabilises."

Rukia gritted her teeth, hot irritation bubbling up her chest. "idiot! Why didn't you just say that in the first place?!" The Hollow influence really did change Sode—she was twice as infuriating now.

"Oh I just wanted to wait till your little Ichigo arrived. He's putting on quite the show right now you know," she said and buzzed in front of her.

Rukia narrowed her eyes but didn't bother asking what she meant. Her tone suggested her strawberry was doing something very perverted outside.

"Are you ready?" Sode asked, raising her white blade.

Rukia took a breath and nodded, bracing herself for the incoming pain. Her spirit lunged forward with both hands and pierced the centre of her chest all the way through.

Blood sprayed through the air but there was no pain. She looked down and jolted back an inch. Sode's blade stuck out of her chest, yet not a single needle of pain bit at her.

"Hmph…" ser spirit mumbled with a half-smirk. "I, Sode no shirayuki am apart of you. It's impossible for you to feel any pain when I run you through."

"idiot! I knew that!" Rukia said and looked away, blushing. She didn't know, but couldn't let her smug spirit win.

"Of course you did." Sode began glowing in bright, white mist. "That snowflake technique Ichigo taught you is quite fitting, don't you think?" she said, then enveloped Rukia in the entirety of their combined power through the link of the blade.

Gasping, she shot her hand to her chest as the spirit energy levelled out, and then collapsed back down—to the level of some of the older captains. "Wh- What happened?"

"You don't expect to be at your maximum in your base state do you?" Sode said and giggled. "You'd be accidentally chopping mountains in half."

Rukia deadpanned, pulled out her sword and tossed it back to her. No wonder Ichigo had been so dismissive of his own half-Hollow spirit. "Yeah I also knew that. I better check on strawberry…" she said with a glower. "Seeya around."

"Of course, you still haven't achieved your Bankai."

Rukia darted her eyes at her. "But you said your new outfi—" she began but was pulled out of her inner world in a quick transition of darkness. She blinked several times as the surroundings registered. She lay on a sheet of ice. Or rather the lake—the frozen lake—and her silky Shihakshou had been ripped in many place.

Yoruichi, who was also now there somehow, offered a hand which Rukia gladly accepted.

"Gave us a bit of a scare there," Yoruichi said and offered a smile. "Also might want to clamp down on your spiritual pressure a bit."

"Right, sorry," she said and closed her eyes to imagine the snowflake fractal; however, a moaning idiot broke her concentration. She spun around and her jaw dropped at the sight.

Ichigo knelt on the ice, having hot, rough sex with his Zanpukto spirit. Breathing ragged mouthfuls, he pounded into his spirit like he had been depraved of sex. Sweat dripping down his muscular body despite the ice and cold air. "Tensa Zangetsu! Are you going to turn her back to normal now?!" he yelled, vigorously fucking his spirit with his long, hard co—Rukia blushed and looked away.

Yoruichi peeked every couple of seconds, blushing and grinning at the sight.

"Wha— what are— you talking— about?" Ichigo's spirit said between moans and pointed to Rukia at the corner of her eye.

"ARRHHH!" Ichigo growled and fucked his spirit faster.

Rukia had enough. That pervert was insatiable. Not even three hours passed by and he was already at it again like he hadn't fucked in a week. "OI PERVERT!" she interrupted.

Ichigo spun his head around to head, eyes widening. "Rukia!" He skept thrusting into her, though at a slowing pace. "Did you beat your Hollow?" he asked, but didn't stop humping his spirit.

A small part of Rukia wanted to join in, but she clamped down on it hard. They already went at it three times earlier without restraint and somehow he still hadn't been satisfied. "There was nothing to beat. Sode no shirayuki is my inner Hollow," she said with a hard voice and glared at him, though a light blush coated her cheeks. It couldn't be helped.

"So when is it my turn Ichigo? You said I'd get it right after before…" Yoruichi said.

"Dammit! Wait till I make her cu—"

Rukia cut off the horny teen with a palm of her hand and snapped her eyes to Yoruichi. Her perverted strawberry hit on another woman apparently. "Yoruichi! Stop staring!" She crossed her arms. She would not share him with another if she could do anything about it—which she could now. Yoruichi's raised spiritual pressure was somehow smaller than hers now.

"Hmph," Yoruichi mumbled. "You're fine with my little bee enjoying him…" She looked at Rukia with big, sad eyes.

"No! I am not fine!" Rukia yelled and balled her fists.

Yoruichi gave her a pointed look. "Really? From that other time it looked like you couldn't satisfy him on your—"

"Lady Yoruichi!" the voice of Soifon exclaimed as she flashed stepped onto the lake. "I got worried when you didn't come back from the grocer—" she said but her jaw dropped as her eyes flickered over the unfolding scene. "WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?! YOU FUCKING PERVERT!"

"Captain Soifon," Rukia greeted disdainfully.

"Soi— fon! Wa— it your t— urn!" Ichigo spat at her with loud moans along with his spirit. "AHHHH!" He climaxed into his spirit in an explosion of sticky, white release. Rukia facepalmed in a fiery blush and looked away from the mess. She grabbed hold of both Soifon and Yoruichi's arms and pulled them away in a flash step—it was easy even with Soifon resisting.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

In these snowy wetlands of Rukia's inner world, the light had faded into a white fuzz, but she could see every detail. Every fleck of ice was discernible, all thanks to her transformation of course. Her senses had been amplified many fold, even in her base state. She'd have to thank Ichigo's spirit for that… Blushing, she cut off that train of thought, for thanking Tensa Zangetsu would mean something much more than a simple memento.

Closing her eyes, she focused onto her icy core as Sode had instructed, though she still hadn't figured why the hell she had to do this training anyway. She'd been pulled into her inner world right as she fell asleep without explanation, apart from she needed training for some reason.

Creaking open an eye, she peeked at Sode, who still gazed out into the icy lake. Her new dress really did make her look like a princess out of a fairy tail held in the Kuchiki libraries. The sleek, flowing robes and ribbons were much like Ichigo's Bankai, except pure white—the colour of her snow and ice.

"You're getting close," Sode said, flicking her eyes at Rukia.

"Getting close to what?"

"You'll see," Sode said and turned her eyes back into the lake.

Rukia growled, but inhaled a mouthful of cool air. Closing her eyes again, she centred herself on the core of her spirit energy within her chest. As the calming meditative position that the academy had taught her set in, the apex of her spirit energy entered into her senses. The icy texture of her energy hummed in a small, flickering light. She poked it, nudging it with a rod of her consciousness. The light winked at her for a second, but didn't appear to respond.

Sode chuckled once. "You have to think, Rukia, or rather not."

Resisting the urge to yell at her, Rukia breathed and doubled her focus… except that would be thinking. "What do you mean by that?"

"You're forgetting your heart," Sode said and sighed.

"Right," Rukia said even though she had no clue what that meant either. This was part of the test—that much was obvious. Including the taming of her sometimes raging emotions.

Sode huffed. "Sometimes raging?"

"Sometimes." She hardened her jaw, enveloping more of her consciousness around the shimmering energy. In a way, her icy powers felt warm to the touch even though she could still feel the cool frost. But it didn't hurt, strangely. That was new. She received a numb sting when she had ventured too deep into the wells of her own power every time. But something had changed. Her transformation, obviously.

"Good, but you're still missing it."

Breathing, Rukia calmed her thoughts and listened to her heartbeat. Did Sode mean her literal heart? It could be possible. She unplugged the ends of her inner snowflake—the technique she stole from Ichigo—and imploded a wave of energy into her chest.

Nothing. Balling a fist, she punched the snow and took several deep breaths. What would Ichigo do? She considered it for a minute, thinking through all the rash decision and idiotic things he had done the past year. He followed his heart… And somehow he had became so powerful, so invincible. Just by following his heart.

What was her heart? She had wallowed in guilt and loneliness for decades since Kaien died to her blade, since Byakuya adopted her and forced her to abandon Renji. Truly, she had been alone despite the kindness of captain Ukitake and the few girls at the women's association who would talk to her. Leave my heart with you, Kaien had said, but her heart was empty, void, cold. And now…

Ichigo. He had changed everything.

And just when a wave of happiness washed over her, the core of her spirit energy imploded into black void of nothingness—no, it wasn't just nothingness. A tendril of despair and her past loneliness curled into her chest, reaching out from the void.

"You have found it," Sode said, flash stepping in front of her. "This is the power of your Hollow self."

A spike of alarm shot through Rukia's neck, snapping her out of the meditation. "What?"

"Relax."

"How can I relax? How can this be the power of my Holl—"

Sode's calm demeanour broke into a glare as a mountain of spiritual pressure fell onto Rukia, pinning her to a knee. Undoing all the tips of her inner snowflake again, she buffered against the pressure, but only managed to barely stand. Even now, they still were at different levels.

"Relax," Sode said again, her features calm. "You must accept it, or it will make you weak. It is the way of the Hollows, to be one with your anguish and instinct"

"But how—"

"Let me ask you, have you ever wondered why you have the power over ice and snow?"

Taken aback, Rukia blanked with her jaw hanging open. She hadn't thought about that a single time ever since she unlocked her Shikai. Not even when Kaien instructed her on strengthening a Shikai and communing with Sode. She shook her head.

"It is a manifestation of how cold you have become ever since you had been adopted into the Kuchiki clan." Sode huffed, and glanced back at Rukia, her eyes now shimmering in sapphire. "That will forever be the core of your power, and now thanks to your Hollowfication… you despair's been brought to the surface."

Choking on a breath, Rukia stood and stared her down, unable to find words, unable to comprehend what she just heard. But Sode spoke the truth—her echoing words held power now, and Rukia could feel it when she spoke with sincerity. Though she still needed to see for herself. Drawing her blade, she took a breath. "Dance, Sode no—"

"Don't try it," Sode said, smirking. "It won't work. Until you accept your true nature, you won't be able to access your release."

Rukia grumbled, and sheathed her blade. "And how am I supposed to do that? Those were the worst decades of my life!"

"Well…" she trailed off, a glimmer in her eyes.

"Well what?" Rukia balled a fist. "Is there some kind of a test?"

"As usual." She looked away again.

"Then spit it out!"

With a swift unsheathing, Sode raised her blade into the air and released a hurricane of light blue spirit energy and stirred up a blizzard. Icy mist and blankets of snow exploded off the damp grounds as Sode's power took hold the skies. "Are you ready, Rukia?"

Hesitating, she swivelled her gaze across the plains of the wetlands. This power was unlike anything she had seen from Sode, and it still rose as the temperature closed onto minus a hundred degrees—colder than she had ever dared to venture into. She steeled herself and hardened her eyes. "Of course, the whole point of this was to gain the power to stand by Ichigo."

"Hmph, so be it," Sode said and unleashed a pillar of black spirit energy into the sky, radiating with tremors of undiluted Hollow power. For many seconds, the pillar grew and pulsated, darkening the light sky into a pitch night and inflating the blizzard several fold. with a final pulse, the pillar died down, then shattered into a hundred shards of black ice.

Rukia stuttered forward towards the largest shard, a puddle of dread forming in her chest. "Ichigo?" she whispered, breaking into a run. As the view of the ice cleared within the pelting snow, her heart sank into a chasm. Inside the ice held her Ichigo, barely visible within the Hollow ice. His face held shock and fear, his eyes wide and jaws dropped by an inch. "Sode! What is this?!" she yelled into the snow and hammered a fist against the ice.

Appearing next to her in a buzz muffled by the blizzard, Sode glanced at the frozen Ichigo. "This is a manifestation of your greatest fear and sorrow."

"So it's not real," Rukia said, her heart calming down. Of course it wasn't. She stood inside her inner world right now. "What do I have to do here?"

"To break the ice, you must wield one of these shards, one by one till they all shatter."

"What if I run out?"

"Then it only means you've still not accepted yourself, for that is what it takes to tame the power of a Hollow. To tame my power." She disappeared in a swirl of ice, leaving Rukia alone with her frozen copy of Ichigo.

She balled a fist and trudged through the snow towards the first black shard. Pulling the blade out of the frozen soil, she let the Hollow energy seep through her being, filling her core with the horrid nights she had endured all those years at the Kuchiki Manor. So this would be the price she'd pay for the power to stand with him as an equal—well nearly an equal.

Sighing, she charged at frozen tomb, not sure if she'd pass this test. But she was sure she'd give anything for Ichigo, for he had done the same for everyone else. Hopefully that would be enough.

* * *

Ichigo usually wasn't one for high places or even nature, but he had to admit the view was really something from a few thousand meters up in his inner world. It was strange however, strange that the temperature hadn't changed at all even at that altitude on top of his mountain—the mountain he just created out of the Reishi from the air on top of his lake. That's what he would have called it before—a lake, but apparently a small ocean or sea would be more fitting for it's size. The other sides still wasn't visible even from his viewing platform.

He let his Shikai reseal back into a Daisho pair, instantly crushing his spirit energy reserves down to a comparatively abysmal level. A level that the captains could even hope to match and what he'd limit himself to in his upcoming fight against Kenpachi. The fight wouldn't even be a contest or last an instant if he released—no wonder Kyoraku and Ukitake had been so adamant on not letting him release. Even the elder captains didn't compare. He was now their final line of defence, apart from those royal guard guys, who he still hadn't met.

He took a seat on his sofa and reflected on his video meetings with his friends. Their lives were more or less mundane. Chad and Uryu trained hard to catch up to him—as if that was possible now—while Orihime and the rest focused on school. Karin was nowhere to be seen. He still hadn't gotten a chance to talk to the little white haired captain—they've been avoiding his video calls ever since their little kissing episode. But as long as Karin was safe he didn't mind—didn't mind too much or he'd storm into the world of the living.

"What do you think Toshiro and Karin are up to?"

He looked over to his spirit who was humming a tune on her own sofa-bed. "Hey did you hear—"

"Course I did dummy… I bet Toshiro's having a lot of fun."

That was not what he wanted to hear. Far from it. "That bastar—"

"You're one to talk, you little pervert."

He grumbled and took a drink of him lemonade. It wasn't even worth bothering to denying it after how many times he's fucked her now, and she was still tight as ever despite how rough he was.

"You like it tight," she said, reading his thoughts for the hundredth time.

He inwardly groaned "Yeah," he admitted—no point in hiding it now. His eyes narrowed as his mind darted back to the issue on hand. "You think you could teleport Toshiro here for just a bit?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," she said, her voice playful.

He sighed and let it drop—almost, except for the fact that his sister was still dating a captain. A captain who was kind of like her to be painfully honest. Toshiro and Karin would be good together kind of, they were both extremely down to earth, and protective. Only he was dead and she was not, and still a normal— He nearly choked. Karin was still ageing at the rate of a human.

"Oh? Someone's figured it out," Tensa said, then patted his head and jumped on him. "Don't worry about it, okay?" she said seductively and disintegrated their clothing.

She thrust against him rhythmically several times as he hardened up. It had been an entire day since he last got some after all, but there was something much more important to take care of right now. Specifically his sister dating what will be a twelve year old kid for many decades to come while she'll be an adult in one. He shook his head and pushed his spirit off him just an inch. His hard member was still poking her stomach.

"Tensa— She's going to end up hurt."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He growled in response.

She took hold of his hard member and stroked gently. "I'm the Hogyoku, remember? I know what everyone wants the most. Don't you want your sister to be happy?" She asked with large eyes and kept stroking him. "And right now, I think you want to fuck me more than you care about some white haired kid."

He stared into her with hard eyes for a minute, but sighed in defeat as she kept stroking harder and even licked him a couple of times. It wouldn't be worth the effort to go against her, he had learnt the hard way just several days ago. She was impossible to resist, and impossible to get anything out of her without rough, hard sex.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Ichigo woke with groggy eyes and stretched his arms out in his small room at the zero division office. Long, silky, white hair chilled the air in a cold mist on his chest and neck. He yawned and ran his fingers through the silky hair. He blinked in concern and confusion—Rukia only had her usual short, black her without releasing.

"Rukia! Wake up!" he said and shook her cold, naked body.

She moaned and looked up from his neck and yawned. Her eyes glowed in swirling sapphire eddies. "Go back to being a being an orange Chappy," she said and rested back onto his chest.

He shook her again, his heart beginning to race. Two days passed since her Hollowfication and there were no signs of side effects, inner struggles with bastard hollows or anything. Completely normal, or as normal as she and Tensa claimed—her current appearance was anything but. He shook some more. No response. He growled, shaking till her head wobbled.

Her eyes snapped open with a dark scowl. "Yes I'm awake you idiot!" she shouted and elbowed him in the side. "What is it?!"

He clutched his ribs in surprise from the force of her strike. It hurt several times more than anything before her Hollowfication. "Your— your hair," he chocked out as his ribs stopped throbbing.

She blinked, picked lock of misty hair at her side and examined it for half a second. With a blank look she rose an eyebrow. "What's wrong with it?"

"What's wrong with it?!" he said, waving his arms. "Everyone's going to freak when they see!" Everyone like her captain, and everyone like Byakuya. Especially Byakuya. Apparently she hadn't told him about her so called decision to Hollowfy beforehand or even mention it after. Ichigo inwardly groaned at the upcoming mess he'd have to deal with when everyone finds out. And hopefully the old geezers at central forty-six wouldn't throw their shit over it.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Within seconds her hair darkened and shortened to normal lengths. "Better?" she asked and opened her eyes, revealing large, dark-blue pupils. No eerie glow. "You give off so much heat at night I have to use my power just to cool myself down!" She punched his arm.

He rubbed the dull ache left by her punch as his pulse calmed down. "You sure you have it under control?" he asked eventually as she straddled him. A beautiful, naked midget pushing her thighs against his waist made it very difficult to speak straight. "I just… I just don't want you to have to go through wha—"

She stopped him with a finger on his lips. "Ichigo…" she whispered, calming him with those relaxing sapphire eyes. "How many times do I have to say it? Sode no shirayuki is fused with my inner Hollow just like you."

He maintained the calming gaze for a moment, then sighed. He'd have to trust her that she hadn't been hiding an inner struggle with crazy hollow just for his sake. He couldn't listen to what went on in that head of hers, and Tensa had been adamant to not teach him how to read minds. He'd have to trust her, he repeated. There'd be no way to know till Rukia began materialising her spirit, training for Bankai—which brought up an important topic.

"How close are you to Bankai anyway?" he asked, raising his eyebrows by an unnoticeable fraction. It was a valid question after all. With her new level of power, she'd be a high candidate for a captain, and a Bankai was a requirement they had said—unless she killed a captain for a spot, which he'd never allow. Even if it was his Rukia killing someone for a lousy captaincy.

"Well… I've never materialised her before," she said and poked her tongue into her cheek. "But I doubt I'll be needing it soon." She nudged him. "What about you? Still that same old boring daito?"

He was about to offer help with Bankai training but blanked when she asked about his own. His Jinzen session with his spirits yesterday proved interesting, training with his new Reishi conversion technique and Shikai. What was his Bankai before was now his new Shikai, except a dual wield version to his surprise. No wonder Zangetsu was still young and they insisted on calling them Tensa Zangetsu, but that only brought up several more questions about his Bankai and what happened to his old Shikai. Was it erased from his powers? He kind of missed having that giant meat cleaver—easy to use and did the job just fine. And what about his new Bankai?

Rukia tapped his head. "Earth to strawberry."

He blinked and shook off his train of thought. "Sorry, I was just thinking about my Zanpu—"

A black cat landed by the door, a few meters away from their shared futon. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Yoruichi said in her low feline voice, then transformed into her full form in a cloud of mist. "But it looks like I'm right on time," She stepped into view, revealing her luscious and toned but slim, mocha body. Her large breasts jiggled.

Blood rushing to his waist and cheeks, his hardened member pressed tight against Rukia's womanhood. The view was the sight of many involuntary dreams he had ever since he trained for Bankai to save Rukia. Too bad it was happening in reality at the worst possible time with Rukia in his arms. And worse of all, Yoruichi could see everything on their sheetless futon.

"Yor-Yoruichi! What are you—"

"Cut the act you pervert!" Yoruichi and Rukia snapped at him. He sighed in defeat—they both knew everything, and every little detail too. They turned to each other, Yoruichi smiling and Rukia radiating icy vibes.

Incredibly, Rukia's base state power was now on par with over a third of his own. Though he'd still need to be careful if he released his Zanpukto around her, as he had found out yesterday—thankfully he could heal her severed arm. She hadn't lasted two seconds when she challenged him to a spar in Shikai, and it wouldn't had lasted any longer anyway. Her most powerful barriers had shuttered a second later after he accidentally defeated her. The only good the Kido did was stopping anyone from noticing their combined release.

"Put some clothes on," Rukia said, breaking the standoff after a couple of minutes.

"Didn't bring any," Yoruichi said, crossing her arms under her breasts. They bounced an inch as she pushed them up. Ichigo hardened and heated up even more.

"Then go get some!" Rukia shouted and also crossed her arms, but didn't do anything for her flatter chest. "And we're busy having a conversation."

"Oh? I'm sure he won't mind if I join in."

Rukia grumbled darkly in response, shifting closer to him and covering more of his body. "We don't need you."

"I'm sure that's not what he's thinking, right Ichigo?"

Rukia growled, elbowing him in the ribs, though he grinned with lustful glee at a potential threesome with Yoruichi and Rukia. Part of him regretted not taking the chance to nail Yoruichi when he had the opportunity several months ago, and not ever bringing it up with her again, but that was the old him. And thanks to his perverted spirit he had been transformed into a new man. He swallowed, and took the risk. "I'm sure we can work something out," he offered in a rush of words.

Rukia twisted her head to him, pinning him with her gaze. "Are you saying I'm not good enough for you?" she asked, her voice rising. "Hmmm?" she added and poked his throbbing member.

"N-No! It's just that—"

"You're a very horny boy and one woman can't possibly satisfy you, right?" Yoruichi finished for him with a sly grin. She strutted up to him and sat down on the futon with one leg under her chin and the other folded on the ground. Her exotic lower lips tempted him to no end as she spread her thighs even more. Leaning into her tropical perfume, he inhaled, filling his airways with her scent. He shivered at the sensation.

"Ichigo!" Rukia said, eyes narrowing and breaking him out of his trance.

"Rukia! It's not—

"You don't want some of this," Yoruichi said with a pout, fondled her breast and stroked her vulva. He nearly tackled her—oh he wanted to do it so bad. He fidgeting on the futon, restraining himself from throwing his body on Yoruichi.

"Yoruichi…" Rukia said and pushed her back shoulder.

Ichigo looked between to the two, digging for an impossible solution in the corners of his head. A drop of sweat ran down the side of his face. 'Tensa! I need your help!'

'On your own!'

He scowled. Just when he needed her advice she decided to be frustrating as usual. He was never good with women when it came to stuff like this in the first place and only lucked out thanks to running into several gorgeous ones recently. They even threw themselves at him. The only problem was too many were at the moment, or one too many in Rukia's case and possibly enough for him.

"Just look at him… He's dying to get some here," Yoruichi said and took hold of his hard member. He nearly lost control right there as her velvet hand caressed his manhood.

"I can satisfy him on my own!" Rukia yelled and also took hold, trying to slap her away.

"Hmmmm, I doubt that," Yoruichi said and kept stroking him. Rukia growled and did the same while attempting to pry her fingers off him.

Ichigo looked between their faces for ways out of this, ignoring the trickles of pleasure. No solutions,but… he could call a ceasefire from all sides to buy some time.

Yoruichi licked him. He pushed both of them away before his lust ignited, then stood up and did his best to ignore his throbbing dick and their inviting bodies. "Alright!" he said, pointing at the two. "Until we work something out, no one will be getting any!" He crossed his arms.

"Aww… but we could just get to it right here… if Rukia wasn't so uptight about this," Yoruichi said and inched closer to him. He took a step back and held his glare.

Rukia looked up to him with big eyes. "Ichigo…?" she said, her face dropping. "Am I not enough?"

His resolve nearly broke, but fantasies of that threesome with the two stopped him from breaking.

"Of course you're not," Yoruichi quipped at her. "It looks like none of us are… did you forget about his Zanpukto spirit?"

Rukia grimaced and shot her a dark look, radiating icy waves again. "Say that again."

They locked gazes for a minute as Ichigo contemplated his plan. He couldn't just ask Tensa to drug them again, for that would wear off, and Rukia would hate him for the rest of her afterlife… And that also left out Soifon… She was being even more difficult than Rukia and he had been dying to get another taste of her mesmerising body.

He sighed and just went with it—whatever came to mind. "Rukia…" he began softly. She twisted to him with a curious expression. "Like I said before… you mean pretty much everything to me." He scratched his head as the words stopped flowing and Yoruichi's shoulders slumped. "Ehh… You also mean a lot too Yoruichi. I wouldn't have rescued her if it weren't for your help," he added, giving her his best reassuring smile. She perked up, eyes happy.

"So what are you trying to say?" Yoruichi asked.

"Yeah, you perverted strawberry," Rukia added.

He swallowed and cleared his throat, then sighed again. It couldn't leave his mouth. He couldn't say how much of a pervert he'd turned into. Still staring at him, their features twisted into strange expressions.

'Do it! Do it! Do it!' His spirit chanted from his mind.

He sighed a third time and looked them in the eyes. "The truth is…" he trailed off and took a large breath. "The truth is that I'm so horny beyond your imagination and if I'm going to be stuck like this for thousands of years then I'd like to keep both of you around to mercilessly fuck… and protect," he explained as quickly as he could. "Soifon too, we'll have hot orgies every night along with my spirit. I'll satisfy you all, don't worry," he added and looked away.

Dead silence rang through the room as they stared at him for the longest minutes of his life.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

He realised the thumping was his heart and not something happening to the building. Prayers that they wouldn't run out of the room while calling him a disgusting pervert filled his mind. He balled his fists, sweat dripping down his forehead.

Rukia recovered. "I already knew that idiot!" she yelled and closed her eyes. "We'll see!"

"Oh? Both of us, and Soifon?" Yoruchi asked, tilting her head.

He nodded, not trusting his mouth anymore.

"Maybe we can do something about that then," she said after a few seconds.

Approached the two with a hand, he relaxed and exhaled as his heart calmed.

"I said we'll see!" Rukia said. "Until then you can do whatever you like with them."

He backed away and scratched his head at his lousy attempt. It was worth a try after all, for he had overheard Renji and the other lieutenants while drinking Sake that taking the lead around women was sometimes a great thing to do. Too bad it seemed that now wasn't the right moment. "I was just helping you up," he said and forced a laugh.

Rukia deadpanned and waved him off. "I'm good. You can get us some clothes however."

Shoulders slumping, he sauntered to the table with his Zanpuktos. "Alright then… lets get dressed," He picked up his Wakazashi and unsheathed it.

Yoruichi shot him an alarmed look. "Wha—"

He waved her off, smirking, and charged his spirit energy through the blade along with an image of sets of clothing on their bodies. The fine details of fabric settled into place and he released a wave of spirit energy. He focused on the Reishi in the air and bent it to his will. The air surrounding them morphed into into their usual outfits. He picked up his sleeveless Haori and threw it on.

Yoruichi examined her stealth uniform with wide eyes.

Rukia merely stood and flattened out her clothing. "Thanks, strawberry." She left for what he assumed to be the bathroom.

"Oh right," Yoruichi called after her. "Byakuya's expecting you Rukia, I stopped him from coming here thankfully. He still thinks you're working hard on teaching Ichigo Kido all night."

Rukia straightened and flash stepped out of the room, leaving him alone with Yoruichi. He took an involuntary step towards to her.

She smirked and crossed her arms. "Not so fast big boy…" she said, holding him back with a finger. "Let's go get some food and work on your Hakuda." She turned and headed for the door.

Blanking, he thought back to the years of training of Hakuda he had received thanks to his crazy old man attacking him every morning and afternoon. Crazy kicks and insane tackling. Goat-chin even said it himself that his Hakuda was passable for a captain the other day when he visited the tenth division to catch up. And years of martial arts training with Tatsuki only added to his experience.

"Wait… my Hakuda is just—"

"With Soifon," she said over her shoulder.

He blinked in understanding and followed her out.

* * *

Ichigo followed Yoruichi and Soifon to their training cave beneath Sokyoku hill. Breakfast had been eventful to say the least, if it could be called a breakfast. A science experiment from his days in the schools of the world of the living would be more accurate. Turns out he couldn't create any living matter—or anything made from it—other than a tree or plants like those in his inner world. When he attempted to materialise bacon and eggs like what he ate a few times before, all he managed to create was a mush of Reishi along with an explosion of spirit energy. He'd have to repair his division headquarters later.

They continued on their way in quick flash steps. The girls dashed in graceful steps that barley whispered a sound—as expected for being assassins. He still disagreed on the whole stealth force but couldn't argue the importance of Soul Reapers being skilled at observation and slinking behind enemy lines.

Soifon glanced back at him, a gleam in her eyes. She had been more than enthusiastic about Yoruichi's proposal of a sparring session with just their fists.

The last rooftops flew by and they arrived at the entrance on the side of Sokyoku hill's cliff-face. Soifon paused beside Ichigo, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Drug me with your Zanpukto again and your secret is out," she said and flashed forward. Yoruichi chuckled and followed.

Grumbling, he meandered down the cavern entrance. It would be a long while till he earned her trust back, or at least somehow achieved the impossible of seducing her enough for that orgy. He grimaced and flashed through the remainder of the tunnel, landing in the underground chamber. Images of his Bankai training along with Renji played across his eyes. And a steamy spa session with Yoruichi.

"Alright, looks like this place is still standing," Yoruichi said, parading a wide smile. "Let's get right down to things, shall we Ichigo?"

"Yes," he said mechanically, still not quite finding the balls to confront Soifon. She was a real terror when rustled.

Yoruichi rose an eyebrow as Soifon glanced at her curiously. "Do you want to or shall I explain?"

"Lady Yoruichi? I thought we were going to kick that pervert's ass," Soifon said, cocking her head.

"You explain," Ichigo choked out. It would be safer that way of course. Hopefully she would do whatever Yoruichi had planned in order to convince her. She hadn't divulged what she had come up with no matter how much he had annoyed or groped her.

"You better not have something planned, pervert," Soifon said, furrowing her brow. Yoruichi chuckled and reached behind her neck, pulling apart the knot holding her revealing stealth uniform together. The black fabric fell down her front, revealing her slender, toned body and perky breasts. Yoruichi grabbed the rest and pulled it off, leaving her with just thin white panties.

Ichigo grinned, his manhood hardening.

Soifon blushed and twisted around, trying to cover her body. "Lady Yoruichi! What are—"

Yoruichi covered her mouth and held her body to her own with a hand on her stomach, giving Ichigo a full view. Yoruichi whispered into her ear with quick movements of her lips—lips that were way too close to her skin.

Ichigo watched the scene unfold with a rising blush, blood flowing through his waist and neck. His body heated in a frenzy. Soon, he'd be lost in his lust again.

Yoruichi finished and playfully stroked the side of her breast. Soifon's features contorted in dark rage. "You pervert! What have you done with Lady Yorui—"

"Nothing, my little bee." Yoruichi said, smirking at her. "You wouldn't want to disappoint me would you?" She let go of her mouth again.

But Lady Yoruichi, he's the most disgusting per—"

Yoruichi deadpanned and groaned as she stopped her again. "Don't you think that's getting old?" She raised an eyebrow. "To be honest I'm getting quite tired with you obsessing over Ichigo. This is for your own good, so cut out the act as well."

"Bu—"

Yoruichi squeezed her nipple. "Understand?"

Soifon gasped, eyes widening. "I-I— but—"

"Come, do it for me," Yoruichi whispered, reaching into her panties. "And the cute war hero standing there."

Ichigo's heart pounded, jaw dropping at the sexy sight.

"So what will it be? Hmmm? We'll do this with or without you," Yoruichi said, breaking contact and stepping to the side, leaving Soifon panting.

Ichigo remained silent, eyes cemented on Soifon's body. Mouth watering, he mentally ripped off her panties.

Soifon slowly regained her composure, took a large breath and closed her eyes. "I would never leave you alone to be devoured by him, Lady Yoruichi," she said, opened her eyes and shot him a hard glare.

Yoruichi hugged her for a second with a gleeful smile. "Alright! Looks like we did it Ichigo!" she shot him a thumbs up.

He grinned and approached the two hungrily.

Yoruichi stopped him with a palm as Soifon visibly swallowed. "Will you do the honours, Soifon?"

Ichigo tilted his head, not expecting Yoruichi's two-way plan. He'd have to give it to her extra hard during their first time for that.

Soifon took a breath and— surprisingly adopted a small, devious smile. "Listen up pervert," she began as he deadpanned at her still using that name. "Tackle me to the ground and rip off my underwear when we say begin and you can have your sick way."

Ichigo nodded eagerly with big eyes and readied himself in a crouch. Soifon flashed him a disdainful scowl. He grinned in response—she'd be on the ground in a second if he just raised his spiritual pressure a tiny bit.

"You have thirty minutes," Yoruichi said and pulled out her communicator, setting the alarm with taps of her slender fingers. "Oh, you have to match our exact spiritual pressure the entire time or you're disqualified."

"Wha— but then I'll never catch you two!" he said, throwing his arms into the air. They were indeed much more skilled than him at Hakuda and flash stepping when at the same level of spiritual power. It would take him days to catch them—if he was lucky. That was at best estimate.

"Be grateful that you're even getting this opportunity without having to drug us," Soifon said.

Suddenly, he was tempted to do so, but shook off the dark thoughts. He'd never intentionally hurt them like that despite how much they'd enjoy it.

'Don't worry Ichi, I believe in you. You'll have to do this the hard way if you wanna keep them,' Tensa said in a musical voice. He grunted in agreement and readied himself again.

Yoruichi smiled and took off her stealth uniform as well, leaving herself in matching panties. His eyes bulged at the sight of the two. "Go," she announced and disappeared into the cavern along with Soifon.

He groaned and followed in his best attempt, keeping a tight hold over his inner snowflake.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Servants bowed and nobles nodded respectfully as Rukia walked through the Kuchiki compounds, her mask near perfect as she nodded back. She had earned some respect from the snobbish nobles of the clan after her heroics in the winter war were published—if killing the remains of Kaien's soul could even be counted as heroic. A clan elder walked by and gave her a sweet smile without a word or congratulations of her recent promotion to lieutenant. That was all her brother's fault of course—he had implored a strict rule of silence across the compounds and severe punishments on any harassment against her. He had decided to do something about all the crap she received from the clan after Ichigo's rescue.

A dark scowl broke her mask as she neared the dining hall. If she didn't known better, Ichigo would be doing it right now with Yoruichi, and maybe even Soifon and his spirit at the same it. Her focus on her snowflake fractal slipped, unleashing a bucketful of icy spiritual pressure into the hallway. Frost climbed up the wooden interior in jagged streaks. She inhaled and pulled back the cold energy, then cast out her senses to make sure no one had noticed.

Her brother hadn't mentioned anything of suspicion—yet, but did sneak curious glances at her every now and then. Of course he was also the reason she wasn't enjoying herself with Ichigo right now as well. If the Kuchiki clan ever found out about what Ichigo wanted…

'You'll run off and have orgies every night?' Sode said. Rukia couldn't help but to scowl. Sode had become way more talkative ever since the transformation, and several times more annoying. Even more so than the other day.

Rukia brushed her off and resumed walking instead closing the distance in a simple flash step, buying as much time as possible. It had been unusual for her brother to request her presence for breakfast as he usually dined alone. She'd have to be extra careful with her words this time, for he'd be watching her like a head captain.

'I bet he's having a lot of fun with them right now.'

Breathing a mouthful of filtered air, she closed her eyes and let her bubbling irritation settle. No point in fighting it. He had become too much of a horny pervert. The only options were to join in or lose him for good.

'We both already know what you're going to do,' Sode said and laughed.

A tick popped up on Rukia's forehead. She clamped down on the annoyance and blocked Sode from her streams of thought. Taking one more breath, she reinforced her Kuchiki mask and opened the door to the western dining room. She blinked, still unaccustomed to the unusual decor.

"Brother, good morning," she greeted.

"Rukia, please sit," he said, gesturing to the seat next to him at the head of the table. Breakfast had already been served, dishes, napkins, and cutlery already laid out. The chefs had prepared a generous portion of rice, grilled fish, and Miso soup as usual. Delicious aromas wafted up from her plate as she took a seat. Brushing away the fork and knife, she reached for the cup of chopsticks then dug in.

They ate in silence for ten minutes after he picked up clean chopsticks and untouched food. She tilted her head, not sure what to make of that. Usually he wouldn't wait for her to arrive since she was almost always late—unless it had been a formal gathering. Something was definitely up, something big. Cold worry seeped up her back. The minutes passed with occasional clatters of wood against porcelain and her ungraceful slurps of soup. She'd have to work on that—or what she had told herself every time her brother dined with her. He hadn't seem to mind though, his pretty face stoic as ever.

He wiped his mouth without expression as she waited for him to finish. He ate more than her naturally. His spirit energy reserves were far greater—according to what he knew at the moment. She'd have several more plates now but couldn't risk letting him know what happened. Hopefully the whole thing would stay under wraps for a long, long time until it had to be revealed. Preferably in a major battle where she could play it off as Ichigo giving her emergency powers.

A strange aura permeated the room, but her attention was diverted by his serene voice. "Rukia… How are the Kido lessons progressing?" he asked, his face blank.

She fought the urge to raise an eyebrow at him. This conversation didn't require him to wait on breakfast for her. "We are progressing through the mid thirties of Bakudo and Hado— although his slow progress is frustrating," she answered formally. It was a true enough recount of her so called tutelage at the zero division.

"I see," he said without giving her pause. "And what of his powers?" he asked in an obviously faked curious tone.

She played along, not seeing anything wrong with the question—as long as she answered carefully. "He is gaining control over the Hogyoku that fused within his soul. He created a lake and trees to help us cool off in the harsh desert the other day." Keeping up the Kuchiki mask became more difficult by the word. A part of her ached to check up on Ichigo—or join in on—

"What about your duties as lieutenant?" he asked and took sip of his steaming tea.

Unable to help it, her brow furrowed. His questions were all unimportant for a meeting like this or even worthy of questions from himself. He could just ask for a written report like usual. "I am keeping up with the paperwork just fine even with captain Ukitake 's sickness."

Half of minute of silence passed as he enjoyed his tea, glancing at her and slowly tilting his head. The strange aura beacme thicker, almost as if it were his— Her eyes nearly popped and heart raced. It had been his rising spiritual pressure the whole time, not something new with the room. She never felt it before without being pinned to the ground or paralysed breathless, and now she hadn't even been affected with her new level of spirit energy. The tranquil texture of his spiritual pressure bathed her in tranquil air, like standing in a meadow of lightly blowing fruit trees.

'Should we get ready to run off to orgy land with Ichigo?' Sode asked.

'Shut it!' she shot back and pushed her aside.

"Brother! I—" she stared but he cut her off with a wave.

"Should I assume that captain Kurosaki has been helping you train in return for the long lessons?" he asked, hardening his voice after each word.

She blinked once and gathered her words. "Yes brother! We both decided it would be best after the events of the war," she half lied, but couldn't control the tone of her voice in her frantic shock. Shock that she had just been that careless, and shock that he covered for her. A completely different Byakuya Kuchiki sat next to her compared to the one that took her in fifty years ago.

"It must be effective… for you to be able to withstand this spiritual pressure so easily," he said and took another sip.

She swallowed and also took a look drink of hot tea, calming her down somewhat. "Yes, I have made significant progress…" she said, trailing off as events of the previous day were brought to the front of her mind. "But when he released his Shikai his spirit energy was on a completely different level," she said in a small voice and looked down to her empty plate.

The power she had been granted revealed to be astounding. Intoxicating even. Too bad the new found power shot right to her head and made her challenge Ichigo to a spar with Zanpuktos released. All it took was a gesture of his released blade to end the spar in a second. He had unleashed an infinitely dense shockwave that ripped through the air and tore her arm in two.

A shattering of porcelain snapped her out of her trance. Her gaze darted to her brother. His eyes were widened to absurd lengths as hot liquid dripped off his still fingers.

"What did you just say?" he asked in a surprised tone that she had never heard.

She blanked for an answer. Did she say something wrong?

His gray eyes pierced into her as she blanked for a minute. Composing himself with a shallow breath, he wiped off his hand on a napkin and brushed aside the porcelain fragments into a neat pile. "Rukia," he said, pouring himself another cup of tea. "Let me ask you, how are you still alive right now?"

She blinked, scrounging up an answer to his strange question. The answer to his question would be… Alive because her idiot strawberry wasn't dumb enough to fire one of his attacks at her right off the bat—is what she would have said if her brother wasn't captain Kuchiki. She drank her warm, sweet tea and let the seconds tick away. Was he implying she was that weak?

He smirked. "Think about this one, really hard. I guarantee you can figure it out."

'Think really, really hard,' Sode added.

A tick popped on her head. His brother—captain Byakuya Kuchiki—just jabbed at her like an idiot. She nearly threw her cup of tea at him right there, but restrained herself and took a forced drink. There was nothing wrong with what she said at all. If anything he was the one being out of line. Ichigo outclassing her in Shikai was to be expected like usual—that idiot had become stupidly strong.

He sighed and stood up. "Meet me in the training courtyard," he said and left in a flash step that she could now see.

The porcelain cup and saucer shook in her trembling hands. Did he want to spar? She never fought against him once, and never dared to ask. He would have killed her in a single strike, backed by the force of his enormous spiritual pressure—what was once enormous but now similar to her own. She set her cup down and followed in a series of flash steps, arriving at the empty courtyard in under two seconds.

He stood with hands behind his back on the other side sparring square. "Rukia, would you please set up a barrier," he said, barely audible.

She chanted the necessary Kido, picturing the required visualisations for her strongest barriers and made nothing of his request. He was of a higher position after all so it was only courteous. After several seconds of chanting she extracted a snowball of spirit energy from her snowflake fractal and erected a light blue cube around the square.

He drew his blade in a swift, practice motion, the same tranquil texture saturating the air again. Reeling, Rukia nearly lost herself in the tranquil texture. The spiritual pressure abruptly became deadly and pushed down her own, hammering daggers into her lungs. She unplugged many of her small triangle tips and pushed back effortlessly.

Without warning, he shifted his stance and flash stepped in front of her, slashing at her chest. His blade swished through the air in slow motion, eddies of wind swirling at the edge of the steel. Every detail was visible, every current of spirit energy flowing through the blade.

Rukia smirked. Plenty of time to respond, and even read a Chappy Manga. She drew her Zanpukto and parried with one hand in a typical counterslash. A spray of white sparks erupted from the clash. With a quick uppercut, she made him sidestep, giving her a moment to flash step behind him for an impale—though she'd stop at the last second if needed. He twisted and parried her thrust and flash stepped backwards.

"Are you satisfied, brother?" she asked, both hands steady on her Katana.

"You still do not understand," he said as she rose an eyebrow, her irritation simmering again from his perpetual vagueness. "Let me demonstrate…" he trailed off and held his blade upside-down.

Her heart pounded against her ribcage twice as the syllables left his mouth. "Ban-kai," he said and dropped his blade into the ground, falling through the paving as if cutting through water.

Two rows of giant blades rose from the ground on either side of her brother, a sight from her nightmares during long nights after Kaien died, killed by her own hand.

"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." The blades disintegrated into a plume of sparkling cherry petals. A whirlwind of pink and white surrounded her under the tranquil storm of his magnified spiritual pressure. Almost all the triangle tips of her snowflake fractal had to be unleashed now.

"Now do you see?"

She braced for the incoming onslaught of blades without a word, not sure what he was asking.

He sighed and closed his eyes. "You may try as you are but I would prefer not to cut you."

She swallowed. Releasing wouldn't be a problem—except for one little hitch. 'Can you prevent my hollow side from coming through?' she her spirit.

'Of course… as long as you accept his offer.'

'he didn't offer anything…"

Sode giggled, radiating waves of amusement from Rukia's inner mind.

It took a moment to register that she was talking about Ichigo's offer. 'What does that have to do with this?!'

'I'm merely protecting your heart,' she whispered. 'And I'd rather not have to endure another round of Blizzards.'

Rukia Inwardly growled. Fine!' she snapped, hoping to not regret this decision soon. If that strawberry idiot doesn't keep his mouth shut or fail to keep all his mistresses happy… there'd be hell to pay.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" she said, focusing on the core of her spirit energy.

Her inner snowflake shattered into thousands of triangles as her spirit energy burst forth from the depths of her soul. The snowflake couldn't contain it—nothing could. A maelstrom of ice and snow raged as she did her best reduce the effect of her release. Her spirit energy levelled out, leaving misty white hair at the edges of her vision. thankfully no Hollow hole or mask appeared.

Her brother momentarily sank to one knee and gasped before standing again as if he could ignore it. He adopted that same ridiculous wide eyed expression.

How unbecoming.

She grumbled. The Hollow pull of instinct still seeped through.

"I see," he said after a long pause.

"That's all you have to say?"

He blinked. "I see."

Rukia's cold laugh rang through the courtyard. "Get ready," she called out and released a small wave of ice at him just for starters.

With a gesture of his arms, every petal flew into the path of her ice barrage, but failed to stop her attack, layers of petals freezing and clunking to the ground. Flash stepping to the side, he barely escaped from being frozen into a noble ice cube.

A proper followup nearly escaped her lips but she held back in concern. How was had he not dodged that easily?

"Let me ask you again…" he said, regaining his stance. Do you think I can feel your spiritual pressure right now?"

She frowned, lowering her blade. "Of course you can, I'm holding it back from breaking the barriers—"

"You would be wrong," he said, countless shimmering petals dancing around him. "You are at a level that even I cannot even comprehend."

"What do you mean, our power is…" she trailed off, examining the difference between their spiritual pressures. She gasped. They were on completely different levels, wider than the gap between captains and lieutenants.

"So you now see…" he murmured, resealing his cherry petals back into a Katana. "Do you understand?" he sheathed his blade and walked up to her.

That was impossible. He couldn't even feel her spiritual pressure? She was like Ichigo now? No wonder she had felt the power of Ichigo's release yesterday. Dumbfounded, Rukia let her Shikai and barrier fade as her concentration slipped. She had become stronger than all the lieutenants—all the captains, and maybe even the head captain as well.

"To carry the power you've been granted…" he said, stopping a mater in front of her. "You must wield it with pride, wield it for the sake of soul society."

The message sunk in, his point now clear—to show how powerful she became. More powerful than him. She had always been looked down to by him, a burden, a mere promise to her dead sister. Now they were equals, someone he could be proud of. Her eyes softened. "Yes brother," she whispered and swallowed the guilt of her deception.

"I'd suggest you prepare for the captain's exam. It's only fitting."

Her eyes snapped wide. "But what about my Bankai training?"

He titled his head. "Did you not infer the outcome of our spar?" he said and turned towards the north wing—his wing. "From this day forward you may refer to me by my first name." He disappeared in a flash step.

A tear nearly fell over her eyelid, for she had earned his respect. Indeed, she felt pride like he said—if only it wasn't shadowed by the crushing guilt of her Hollowfication. Selfish, single-minded Hollowfication just to stand with Ichigo, and she still couldn't if he released. She sighed and sat down on the edge of the courtyard.

A flicker of an out of place, rugged spiritual pressure wafted through the courtyard. She deadpanned and buried the negative emotions. "You can come out, Renji."

"Rukia!" he greeted after a sluggish flash step. "I was just concerned about captain Kuchiki's absence this morning, he said he was expecting a report, I wasn't spying on you two!"

Typical Renji. "Save it idiot, did you hear all of it?"

He dropped the grin in a split second like in a comedy Manga, scratching his his red head. He sat down next to her. "Yeah…"

"It's fine," she said. He could be trusted at least.

"So you're going to be a captain, eh?"

She looked down, fingering the frozen blades of grass. "Yeah."

Sitting in silence for a minute, she let the warmth of his rugged spiritual pressure seep into her. This is how it had been, growing up in the Rukongai and enjoying each other's company.

Renji grumbled under his breath, ruining the mood. "What is it?" she asked, glaring at him.

"My goal for when I joined the thirteen court guard squads was to defeat captain Kuchiki," he said, his eyes soft and gentle. Her glare dropped. "And now even you've surpassed me." He smirked and kicked the grass, shattering the iced greenery.

Rukia clenched her jaw, drowning in her guilt. Cheating her way to gain selfish power. She inwardly cursed at herself. Utter cheat, complete utter cheat. "You could just ask Ichigo to help you out as well," she suggested, but hoped he wouldn't go down her path.

He glanced at her with a raised brow. "Why the hell would I do that? That won't prove anything."

She looked back down and lightly smiled. Of course he thought that—typical Renji. No matter how hot headed he was he still had that stubborn sense of pride and reaching for the moon, as her broth—Byakuya said. Even he had more honour than her so called pride.

'Dont worry… I'm sure you'll feel much better when Ichigo fills you up with his large cock,' Sode said. Rukia blushed, not having expected such vulgar words from her usually tame spirit. She looked away to hide her rising blush.

"Aahhh… that's not what I meant…" Renji said and shifted, scuffing his sheathed blade on the courtyard.

"It's fine," she said and let her blush settle.

He looked around the frozen courtyard. "Look, I overheard captain kyoraku and Ukitake the other day," he began in a hushed tone. "Talking about how Ichigo might not even be able to remain in his Shikai long without causing too much collateral damage like they would in their Bankais. Apparently theirs is real nasty along with the head captain."

She perked up and gave him a long look, not sure whether to tell him of yesterday's spar. Ichigo had maimed her without even thinking, and that was only a split second in his Shikai… whatever was his full power would be… she shivered and hit Renji's arm. "So what are you saying? I'm a danger now?!" she shouted in attempt to hide her worry.

"No!— No I'm just saying it would suck to be never able to release when you have that kind of power," he said and rubbed his dead arm. Lucky for him her inner snowflake fractal had been on a tight leash ever since her barrier went down before. Though what he said was kind of true. Part of her soul wanted to break free in pure, basic Hollow instinct.

"Sode no Shirayuki and I are fine with it," she said, not risking the slip of her secret. "And don't you have a report to deliver? Byakuya might also ask you to a duel in Bankai if you're late with it." She eyes the rolled up parchment sticking out of his Shihakshou.

He blinked. "Right, seeya Rukes," he said and flash stepped away.

She dusted the powdery snow off her Shihakshou and flashed off to the Zero division. Now it was that idiot's turn to get a piece of her mind about their little perverted arrangement.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Rukia sauntered towards the first division to meet with the other lieutenants, taking her to time enjoy the spring sun. Several unseated men of various divisions straightened and hurried off as she walked by. She huffed. That's how it was now. They could feel it, her power, her authority. Every step brought the calm, controlled depths of suppressed spiritual pressure that could crush any of them in a split second.

A group of women from the eighth division passed by. They waved and smiled at least, but merely out of politeness of course. She smiled back, but couldn't help the cold loneliness rise up her chest. She had become an outsider in the span of a day—part of the highest elite and soon be officially made so. No wonder people like captain Kyoraku drank all day and Byakuya were so reserved. Byakuya—who she was still deceiving. What would he think of her Hollow side? Would he tell central forty-six? Ichigo had an inner hollow and he hadn't appeared to mind, but that was different. Ichigo had been the two time hero of Soul Society, and she merely… merely had turned into one of four fuck buddies in his secret group of mistresses now. He wasn't at the Zero division yesterday after her breakfast with Byakuya, doing the obvious with both Yoruichi and Soifon when she finally caught up to them.

She sighed and flash stepped the remainder of the distance, which was quarter way across the capital. Mere seconds passed as her world blurred and refocused upon a large sign for the lieutenant's meeting hall. Ponds and water features ran through gardens around a square building. Slapping on her Kuchiki mask, she entered to the sight of all the lieutenants lounging or drinking tea. She bit down the urge to facepalm.

"Rukia?" Rangiku greeted with a curious tone. "Is that really you? You feel kinda different," she said and leaned forward with a cup of tea.

The other lieutenants swivelled their heads to her, faces plastered with curious expressions. She swallowed, not sure how to respond without mentioning her so called training. It hadn't occurred that the distinct flavor of her spiritual pressure would've changed so much. It had changed by quite a bit, but not by that much—or so she thought.

"You feel kinda like old grampa captain now," Yarchiru said, a bag of sweets in hand.

Was she calling her old? Rukia narrowed her eyes at her. "I'm nothing like the head captain."

"Really? You're both quite the grouch," Renji said without a mouthful of fruit.

"Yup." Yachiru nodded.

Renji huffed. "I'd be confused if you two were in the same room."

"Shut it idiot!" she snapped, pointing a finger at him.

"Case and point," he said, eating another mouthful of pear.

That did it. As her irritation bubbled up her neck, she lost control control over a hundred triangles, leaking more of her new spirit energy into the room. Sweat drops appeared on Renji's face as he swallowed his mouthful. She blinked. That was the first time she was able to do that to a lieutenant. She'd have to be more careful, or accidents could happen—like with that strawberry idiot.

"Whoah easy there Rukia," he said. The other guys flicked her quick glances and whispered in murmurs.

She looked away from him and took a seat by Rangiku and Isane. "Hmph, my bad," she said, crossing her arms. "It's difficult to hold back so much when you're so weak!" She couldn't help herself. He was such an idiot.

"Tch, not my fault that you and carrot top are apparently out of our league."

Rukia glared in response and looked away again. Hisagi gave her a questioning look. She ignored him. Apparently Renji was indeed dumb enough to nearly let her secret slip out.

Rangiku blinked. "Oooh I see, A certain captain's been training you hasn't he?"

"Ichigo couldn't help but return the favor for the Kido lessons," she lied coolly. They couldn't know, they'd treat her like a monster. An abomination more Hollow than Soul Reaper.

Hisagi, Kira, and Iba gave her a calculating look and turned back to each other in a quiet conversation.

"You're just on time Rukia," Nanao greeted from next to— a sleeping captain Kyoraku. "Wake up!" she yelled and kicked him in the side. He fell over onto the floorboards in a thud.

"Oh my lovely lieutenant… You're still so cruel," he said and sat back into his seat.

"Well maybe if you weren't so lazy I'd have to kick you awake less," Nanao said and pushed up her glasses. He smiled under his hat and took a drink of Sake.

"Captain Kyoraku," Kira interrupted and stood up. "Now that everyone's here can we start the meeting?"

"Yeah, why were we called to meet with you anyway captain?" Rangiku asked.

Nanao nudged him with an expecting look. Rukia tried her best to remain neutral and not let any emotion bubble to the surface. She had a good idea that her brother might have been behind this, with her best interests at heart of course, despite the current awkward situation. She took a frustrating breath. Best intentions. Beneficial for herself and the Seireitei to become a captain.

"Ah yes," Kyoraku began and put down his saucer of Sake. "Old man Yama and a couple of us captains have decided…" he trailed off with a grin. The room darted their gazes to him in deafening tension. A drop of sweat ran down Rukia's neck.

"Get on with it!" Nanao smacked him with her book, though he didn't appear to notice.

"To fill one or two of the vacancies for the captains," he said and took a large, dramatic breath. "There will be one or more tournaments between the lieutenants and whoever's willing to participate starting in a year,"

No one spoke for several seconds. Rukia blinked and let out another breath she was holding. The guys all tightened their jaws. Nanao, Rangiku and Isane all adopted surprised expressions but didn't seem too worried; they hadn't been gunning for the spots for captains after all. If this tournament went through it would come down a testosterone feud—is what they said in a book from the world of the living.

Too bad for them she'd win without releasing in the end, freezing the lot of them in a storm of ice and snow. Though perhaps holding back a bit—or a lot—would be for the best.

"What about the captain's exam?" Nanao said, her face wrinkling into a grimace. "Or the method of recommendation… this has never happened in the history of the Seireitei." A chorus of murmurs and nods backed her up. Yachiru continued snacking on her sweets, not even showing a glimmer of care.

"That would be true, but as you've all noticed…" captain kyoraku began and pulled out a shiny book, then flipped it open and held up a page, revealing Ichigo's handsome face printed on the glossy paper.

Rukia blushed and clenched her fist. "What does Ichigo have anything to do with this?!" she shouted, rudely interrupting him.

To her surprise, no one backed her up, looking at her as if she was missing something important.

Rangiku giggled and covered her mouth. "Oh Rukia…" she murmered and snatched up a piece of dried apple.

"She'll figure it out," Nanao said and gave her a tiny smile.

"Everything ends up having something to do with that idiot," Renji commented.

Kyoraku smiled and waited on her as it pieced together. She deadpanned and turned to help herself to some tea to hide the embarrassment. Of course it was because of Ichigo. He had changed the rigid traditions of soul society so much that they'd try something different this time to find a new generation of captains. The last batch had three traitors. A change was needed. A change was a hundred years overdue.

Kyoraku chuckled again as she poured herself a large up of tea.

"It's okay Rukia, I'd be distracted by his devilishly handsome looks as well," Rangiku said.

"I concur, I also find it hard to concentrate in his presence," Nanao said.

'You'd be able to think more clearly if you just joined in yesterday,' Sode added.

Rukia's blush rose to burning levels. 'idiot! I didn't even know where they were so shut it!' She drank several gulps of calming tea till her face return to normal colours then returned to face the lazy captain. Everyone sat there waiting on her, smirking and shooting her knowing looks.

"Alright, if no one else has anything funny to add," Kyroraku said. "Then I'd like to say that the winner of the tournament will get the rare chance to fight with either Jushiro, Retsu or I for judgement on how deserving you are for the position of a captain." He pulled out a picture of the three elder captains, pointing to it as if a spar with them was the highest honour in the thirteen court guard squads. "Unless one of you would be willing to take the test right now?" His eyes flickered to Rukia expectantly. Almost an order.

She took a deep breath as the lieutenants began to notice their silent exchange. "Yes captain, I believe I am—"

Ichigo's rising spiritual pressure washed over the room, pinning all the lieutenants to the ground within a second. She undid the plugs on all the triangle tips of her snowflake, forming a spiritual pressure buffer around herself with the superior control of the technique.

She looked out the window to the sight of darkness erupting into the sky in the far distance. That idiot must have released his Shikai again for whatever reason—and without a damn barrier. She'd have to release her own just to stand if the pressure was directed at her, and luckily no ill intent laced the pressure or she'd be unable to even move.

"Relax, it's just Ichigo," she said. The lieutenants nodded, stood and took many breaths. They couldn't feel it anymore of course.

Kyoraku gave her a meaningful look, nudging his head towards the zero division. She understood. An order to go—just to make sure he wasn't in trouble. They left in their fastest flash steps just before the lieutenants asked anything, mouths hanging. Nanao's smaller spiritual pressure wasn't far behind—Renji and Rangiku too.

* * *

Soifon stamped and signed another application from an academy graduate. Results had been lackluster for the countless year in a row now, but satisfactory enough to be worthy of the stealth force. She could have sworn something had been wrong with the reincarnation cycle these decades, though it could be another dry streak. They said only one soul in several generations has the potential for the Bankai release after all.

She stamped the last paper with a bit too much force. The recruits wouldn't last a second in actual combat apart from regular Hollow patrol duty. Even with circulating rumours of Lady Yoruichi returning to help out in the second division, the best of the lot was barely at the level of a seated officer.

Grimacing, she picked up a stack for division supplies and various issues—lazy ass Omaeda had slacked off again. He'd be running laps around the flash step poles if he weren't at the lieutenants meeting right now. As she settled into her seat, a brown envelope fell to her desk from within the tall pile. She dropped the pile to the in-tray in a cloud of dust and cut open the envelope with her letter knife, shaking out two glossy booklets.

The first draft of the upcoming magazine and captain photo collection lay on her desk. A hot blush coated her cheeks as she examined the contents. The ache of her sore womanhood throbbed as her thoughts shot back to yesterday's threesome with Yoruichi.

"Fucking pervert…" she muttered, picking up the magazine with a cover of a split portrait of Ichigo. Black haired glory on the left side of his face and normal orange self on the other. She smirked. "Sexy, fucking pervert" She flipped to the first article.

'Captain Ichigo Kurosaki of the newly founded Royal Guard, dubbed as Sereitei's most eligible bachelor by the Shinigami—' She growled and flipped to the next page—eligible bachelor would a very inappropriate label for his current status of being the biggest pervert in Soul Society.

Large exclamation marks caught her attention. 'Upcoming fight between Ichigo Kurosaki and Zaraki Kenpachi! Who will win?! Who will Survive?!' She smirked. That brute wouldn't last a second. It would be a surprise if he could even land a scratch on Ichigo if he fought seriously. She flipped the page again.

Next to a photo of him holding both his Zanpukto blades sat a brief article contributed by Rukia. 'Ichigo saved my life on multiple occasions. The most memorable time was when he saved me from execution from the Sokyoku phoenix, it was…' her section began and developed into a short recount of the war from her perspective.

She sighed. He was still the same hero who saved everyone—despite being insatiably lust crazed. But still the same protective, kind human who gave up life in the living world for the mistakes of the afterlife. She sighed picked up the photo collection, flipping through the pages. Many revealing photos of Ichigo flashed across her eyes. She shook out a folded section in the pages, flopping open a full spread of a topless Ichigo in tight underwear onto her desk. Nanao obviously used her computer magic again. She devoured his lean, muscular form hungrily.

"Oh whats this?" a very familiar voice quipped from behind.

"Lady Yoruichi! I was just—"

"You didn't get enough yesterday?"

"Wha—"

"We could go pay him a visit right now, if you'd like."

"I'd rather not," Soifon said and inhaled.

"Oh fuck me harder! Harder now!" Yoruichi teased then giggled, her light laughter ringing through the small office.

Inwardly cringing, Soifon throwing away the excuse she had lined up for ogling him. "I was not myself," she said, trying to convince herself more so than Yoruichi.

Smooth, mocha hands pressed down on her shoulders as Yoruichi peeked around her head. "Oh really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "It sounded like you and Ichigo came to an agreement."

Soifon closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There'd be no way out of this. No way of going back after yesterday, and that pervert's drugging abilities couldn't be blamed this time either.

Yoruichi kept on laughing and poked her cheek. "If you really mean it then fuck me as hard as you can!" she paraphrased again.

Soifon let out a small groan. There would be no end to the teasing now, unless… "Are you quoting yourself, Lady Yoruichi?" she jabbed with a smirk.

Her brows rose half an inch. "What this? My little bee has finally grow—"

An enormous shockwave of spiritual pressure blasted through the room, but abruptly vanished as if it's existence was erased.

Yoruichi turned away towards the window. Soifon blinked as she regained composure, also twisting her head towards the tiny, wooden window, but the view had been already blocked by Yoruichi's slender back. "Was that the head captain?" she asked, but jumped from her seat when the distinctive texture of the pressure registered. Calming, protecting, and wild—but now much more controlled.

"It's Ichigo," Yoruichi said before she could say as well. "He must have released his Zanpukto."

Soifon frowned, not sure what to make of the situation. He could just be training. They gave him a gigantic wasteland to build up the zero division in after all. But any captain could just train in their inner world without letting spiritual pressure wash over the Seireitei. He wasn't that thick—hopefully.

"Could he be in battle?" Soifon thought aloud. If that was true then it would be no use going to his aid, though a rising clench in her stomach drove her to do just that.

Yoruichi frowned. "It shouldn't be possible, we're in the Seire—" The sky over the zero division exploded in darkness and purple-blue.

Soifon dashed out of the room through the window. A incredible plume of black Reishi blotted out the sky in the distance, invisible to her spirit energy senses. There wouldn't be anything she could do with her limited power, but sitting around wouldn't help him either. She headed off toward his division in her fastest flash steps.

* * *

Ichigo panted as his spirit energy reserves began to fill back up. He had lay in tall grass for half an hour now, waiting for his inner snowflake to refill. Transforming his entire barren division had drained even his Shikai. "How does it look?" he asked his Zanpukto spirits and stood to join then at the edge of the cliff.

His Hollow spirit looked around from a floating boulder. "It needs more trees, but these islands will do," he said and disappeared in a buzz towards one of the larger land masses.

"You're an artist, Ichi!" Tensa chirped with wide arms.

"Thanks, it took all night to finish visualising it," he said with a smile, looking over his handiwork.

Endless clouds of islands spread through the air at various heights, floating as if held up by invisible supports. Rocky brown underneath but lush green on top. Empty grasslands and forests filled clusters of archipelagos, some even had vines and branches spilling over their cliff-side edges. Several larger islands contained lakes fed by snowy hills. Rivers ran over cliff edges in waterfalls straight into the sea of his division below. A sea without reefs or even fish like in oceans he sometimes visited in japan, but it was close enough. They'd eventually become more life-like—he hoped.

"You think those deer we saw will come live here?" he asked Tensa. That was what he'd been calling her for days now—he just realised last night.

She smiled. "Maybe if those deer ever grow wings."

"Well can't I just create some?"

"Did you already forget you can't?" she said, giggling.

Ichigo blushed and brushed her off, looking towards his mountain range. Those were especially taxing on his spirit energy to create. The group rose several thousand meters into the air at the centre of the of his division, where the sea froze into an icy tundra due to the influence of the spiritually enhanced magma core deep under the ground. The molten rock drew on the heat energy of the blazing desert and converted it to rising spiritual pressure. He shrugged. He had to find a way to power his floating islands somehow—and that solution had worked just fine.

He smirked. The old geezers back at the Seireitei capital might have something to say about his new division though.

"You're missing one thing…" Tensa said.

"Hmm?"

"A house for all our crazy sex parties of course."

He blushed again. "What are you talking about?" he stole her words. Though she was right—that small division office wasn't quite big enough for the five of them. That small bedroom would end up cramped at night, not that he minded or anything. He grinned. His stomach buzzed in anticipation for the first time with Rukia, Soifon and Yoruichi together.

"Don't forget about me," she said and gave him a hug, pushing her scantily dressed body tight against him.

"Right…" he said, thrusting himself against her. She stopped his kiss. "Tensa?"

"I think we have visitors, they've been there for a while now," she said, pushing him away. "Unless you want to put on a show for everyone?" She hugged him again and put a hand on his chest.

He blinked and concentrated on the spiritual pressure signatures throughout the air. The ambient pressure holding up his islands blocked out most of it, but many faint textures stood out, anchored many miles away by his office building. He looked back and forth between his horny spirit and the direction towards his office. Maybe he could sneak in a quickie. He grimaced—it would probably end up being an hour of fucking.

He let her go and turned for a flash step, but she didn't dematerialize.

"We like the change of scenery, seeya Ichi," she said, waving him goodbye.

Leaving her to swim by the waterfall, he flash stepped across floating boulders and islands towards his office. In retrospect, she had been swimming most of the time during chatter, even though he wasn't a big fan of water. Nature and swimming were neither part of his core person in fact. Did that represent something symbolic? Or just quirks of them being Zanpukto spirits?

He shook off his weird thoughts and made the final leap of several miles in a single step. His jaw dropped at the sight. A volleyball net had been erected on his beach along with several blankets and umbrellas sticking out of the sand. A small picnic table filled with sandwiches and sodas also sat on the nearby remnants of the rocky, wasteland terrain. Two groups of bikini-clad women stood on either side of the net hitting several volleyballs back and forth.

Rukia glanced at him as she punched a volleyball into the air. "So the strawberry finally decided to show up."

"The captains were waiting for over half a hour," Yoruichi said, putting a hand on her hip. Her breasts jiggled in her purple bikini. "We thought you got lost in your tropical wonderland so we commandeered this lovely beach you made for us."

The other women greeted in a chorus of light voices. Even Unohana and Soifon enjoyed the game, dashing back and forth much faster than the others. Ichigo blinked and shook off paralysing surprise. "Why are you all here?!" he said, waving his arms to get their attention. "Don't you all have divisions to run?!"

"This is a paid vacation sponsored by the SWA," Nanao said in between two uppercuts. "We had a beach trip planned but was cancelled due to budgeting." She returned an incoming volleyball with a lithe spin-kick—which he was almost certain was against the rules. Neither did her explanation make complete sense.

"SWA?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are they also looking after you divisions?"

"Since when did you care so much about running divisions properly?" Soifon asked.

He didn't have a retort for that one, nor did he know where his sudden concern came from. "Well at least I care enough to turn it into this tropical wonderland."

"It's not that great," she said and turned back to the game. He smirked.

"How are the islands sitting in the air like that?" Unohana asked as she slapped volleyballs into the air with surprising grace. Large, full breasts jiggled on her slender figure. Rukia glared at him, breaking his stare.

"I used the magma deep in the ground, turning it's heat to spiritual pressure," he explained and adverted his gaze.

"There's magma in the ground?" Isane asked in a curious tone. The other women also murmured similar questions.

"Yeah, you didn't know?" Ichigo said, face blanking. "They teach it in the schools of the living world." That was the basics of any science or geology class he had since first grade at Karakura elementary. Even Keigo and Tatsuki knew that simple fact. Uryu would be making several comments about their apparent lack of knowledge.

"They don't teach anything as useless as that in the academy," Rukia said. The women gave nods of approval.

It was him against them. And useless? Could they not see his creation of art? "Just look over there." He pointed to his floating islands. "Not so useless now eh?" Check mate.

"Oh? Are you saying theres something useful about floating Islands?" Yoruichi asked, grinning slyly. "All those deer back in the forests can't even get up there."

A silvery laughed echoed in his head. His eye twitched.

"The SWA is the Soul Reaper's Women Association," Nanao interjected before he growled at them. She ran over to the picnic table next to him and picked up two books. "We're in charge of the Seireitei Communication magazine and captain photo collections." She held up the books, revealing covers of himself.

The first booklet displayed a half photo of himself in his Final Getsuga Tenshou state, though the grey bandages had been ripped from his mouth, fluttering in still wind. Staring at his piercing red eyes and black hair, he rubbed his neck, not having expected seeing that here. The image of his sacrifice. The price he would have paid if it weren't for the Hogyoku. How did they even get that photo?

"Are you okay?" she asked, clicking her fingers. "Captain Kurosaki?" She waved with a magazine in hand.

He blinked. "Yeah," he said, putting on his best smile. "It's just the photo of me in the black."

"It's from last week just before you woke up," Rukia called from the volleyball pit. They were still playing, laughing and giggling as they smacked the balls back and forth.

"Gave us quite the scare there," Yoruichi added, dashing around the sand in cat-like dashes. "It was part of your transformation due to the Hogyoku. You already know the rest."

"I see…" he said, though not believing he could have been in that form again. How powerful did the Hogyoku make him? There were many questions his spirits hadn't answered during his Jinzen sessions. His half hollow had been frustrating as usual and Tensa didn't divulge anything without first satisfying her—just a bit as she had said.

"I hope we didn't offend you for using this photo…" Nanao said, her lips pursing. "We just wanted a picture that would highlight your attractive features."

Ichigo blushed and grinned, trying his best to not upset her. "Really, it's fine," he said and put a hand on her bare shoulder. "It's just surprising because that's the technique I used to finish off Aizen. I would have lost my powers from using it."

"Alright, I'm glad you're still with us," she said and shifted. "Do you mind?" She blushed.

Ichigo glanced at her shoulder and snatched his hand back. "S-Sorry!" He forgot he had to keep up an act of his previous self. A prude, unfun act. He inwardly groaned. How could he have been like that with all the women?

"It's fine," she said, pushing up her glasses. "Take a look." She smiled and ran back over to the volleyball game after handing over the magazines.

'Sure you want to look through it?' Tensa whispered.

He gulped and flipped open the photo collection.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

A ring of spiritually fuelled fire enclosed onto a straw dummy in a field of dried grass on one of Ichigo's many floating islands. He shaped thousands of prisms made of smaller triangles from his inner snowflake into a sphere, pushing back against the old head captain's fire. Scorching, white hot fire of the sun—as Yamamoto had said with his own words. Fire hotter than anything he'd ever felt before.

He wiped his forehead and took a drink, sweat dripping off his hand. "How come you're not even sweating?!"

"Fire is my power, it is natural to me," he said and waved his katana, adding to the blazing ring.

Ichigo unblocked a hundred extra triangles and reinforced his barrier, ignoring the heat against his charring skin. "Right…" He drank another mouthful and wiped off his face. "Do all soul reapers have a specific power like you and Rukia?" he asked, never have thought about that until this lesson.

The old man opened an eye. "Every soul has it's own potential. Some have greater depths than others." His shoulders rose and dropped. "You have not noticed your own affinity?" he asked in a pointed tone—as pointed as his old voice could rise to.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow half an inch. "My own affinity?" Could brute force be counted as an affinity?

"Hmmm…" Yamamoto mumbled.

He let out a breath, letting it drop. Being vague had become something to be expected form the old head captain. That was part of the training apparently, or so he guessed it to be. "Who came up with this technique?" he changed the subject, hoping to get some real answers.

"You will meet him in time."

Ichigo blinked. "It wasn't you?" He could have sworn that the inner snowflake was Yamamoto's technique since neither Kyoraku or Ukitake used it, according to their half-half answers during their few training session. "Aren't you the oldest Soul Reaper?"

"I am the second oldest," he said, stroking his beard.

"What?" The strength of Ichigo's prism lattice waned for a second, letting the fire singe the straw. He reinforced the structure of spiritual pressure before the dummy caught fire.

"There hasn't been a single soul reaper born nearly as power in thousands of years…" Yamamoto trailed off, giving him a heavy, implied look.

"Then… Is it the royal guard leader?" Ichigo only received a faint look in response, as if to say who else would it be? He shrugged off his vagueness yet again, storing the information away in a file drawer in his mind. The sessions with the old man proved invaluable, as was already shown by his improved control over his spiritual pressure. He owed him way too much just for that.

'What file drawer?' his inner Hollow spirit said.

Taking a calming breath, Ichigo doubled his focus on the barrier. That stack of straw could be someone real one day. Someone like Rukia, or Soifon and Yoruichi since Rukia became near indestructible to anything below the head captain's level. Despite being so fragile compared to himself, her power couldn't be denied, he had to grudgingly admit. Perhaps backing off on the protectiveness in any future battles would be best, for her pride—after she finishes Bankai training. Yoruichi and Soifon however…

Warm lust simmered in his waist. Yesterday's beach party had lasted long into the night with a bonfire and plenty of Sake—naturally ending up with several drunk, half-naked women dancing around him. It had taken transcended levels of self control to keep up his prude act. Neither did he find a chance to whisk away his three girlfriends—as he called them—to an all-night orgy. A dull echo of burning lust still surged through him.

A loud, rough clearing of a throat snapped his attention back to the lesson. "Is something distracting you, perhaps?"

Ichigo's eyes widened as a blush took hold over his already charred cheeks. His strawman had been reduced to a pile of ash and blackened crumbs. He mentally facepalmed, unable to come up with an excuse.

"Lieutenant Kuchiki," Yamamoto said, his features hardening. More serious than his usual demeanour.

He snapped his head to him, clenching his stomach and hoping it wouldn't be bad. He couldn't have found out about the Hollowfication, or their screwed up relationship, unless Rukia let it slip… she couldn't have been that careless.

"Relax," he said in a raised voice. "I will keep this information away from the government as long as it doesn't endanger the Seireitei."

Ichigo held a breath. Was he talking about the Hollowfication or his three partners? Most likely the former since the latter couldn't endanger anything, apart from their reputations.

"Should I take it from your expression that you don't know about the upcoming captaincy exam?" Yamamoto asked with a tiny gesture of his now sealed staff.

Hollowfication it was. But he hadn't said anything specific about that yet. Ichigo stared into his half open eyes, bones in his chest creaking. "Old man Yama…" he said, but was waved off.

"Although Sosuke Aizen was a madman, he was indeed a genius," he said and closed his eyes. "To surpass the limits of being a Soul Reaper, one must indeed break the barrier between a Hollow…" he trailed off again, as if leaving out the end of that sentence.

So he knew. Ichigo inwardly cursed. "Yeah, but how does that mean Rukia—"

"Don't assume me to be a fool to not notice Rukia Kuchiki's new spiritual pressure… her soul did not have such a potential before this week," he said in a harsher tone, leaning on his staff. "The power you have given her will serve Soul Society for the greater good."

Ichigo swallowed, but let it drop before he'd slip something as the conversation steered into dangerous waters. Despite how senile Yamamoto had been during Aizen's betrayal and winter war, his old wisdom still shone through. Maybe he had been humbled since his defeat, taught a lesson so to speak—if someone his age could be taught anything new. Or maybe it was the arm he now didn't have, serving as a constant reminder of failure.

"Speaking of potential, you'd be wise to practice careful judgment during your upcoming fight with captain Zaraki today," the old man said before Ichigo could ask about his arm. "And I do believe the day has begun," he added, gazing into the rising sun between the gaps of the mountain range. He disappeared in a flash step.

"Yeah… thanks," Ichigo mumbled, throwing a scowl in the direction of his abrupt departing. He hadn't gotten a chance to ask about his arm or what he meant about Kenpach. Though he'd probably only receive more half answers.

A light laugh echoed in his mind.

Sighing, he stood and concentrated on the pull of the Hogyoku within his soul. A fathomless, infinitely-threaded sensation seeped through his body, the same texture as Tensa's spirit energy. He focused on a strand, infusing it with a desire to move, and in an instant he reappeared on a different island in a flash of white-purple.

'Good job Ichi! Soon you'll be able to do it without taking almost a minute!' Tensa chirped.

He grimaced, not taking her bait. She always backed him into a corner in their playful arguments. Despite how much he enjoyed their light banter, it had frustrated him to the ends of the Rukongai to always be cornered into the losing side.

'Aww don't be like that Ichi… You're just grouchy because you didn't get any last right,' she said and giggled, her musical voice ringing in his head.

His forehead creased another line as he sat into a meditation, practising the control over his raging spirit energy. Kenpachi wanted a battle after all, not a one sided slaughter, and if what the old head captain said had any weight—which had proven true as usual—then the brutish captain might turn out worth the preparation after all.

His Hollow spirit radiated waves of anticipation.

* * *

A small crowd of captains and lieutenants gathered at a rocky ledge on one of Ichigo's floating Islands. Rukia held onto a disguised Yuzu's hand, shielding her from the latent spiritual pressure of the landscape—pressure higher than that of a captain. They had travelled the centre of his division where the sea had froze into an expanse of black ice and rock, where the spiritual pressure had rose exponentially. An incredible sight, but no signs of life had shown for countless miles ever since they left the forests. Only cold death of emptiness and eerily floating frozen islands taunted at Rukia. Despite her own affinity for ice and snow, a chill vibrated through her bones.

"Did Ichigo really make this place?" Yuzu asked, gripping her hand tighter.

"Yes," Rukia said, putting on her gentle, reassuring voice. "There was quite a panic yesterday when your brother released his spirit energy, but luckily to one was hurt."

Yuzu looked around, her mouth pinched into a wavering line. "Whys this place so empty? Shouldn't there be Polar Bears?"

Rukia blinked, not sure what a polar bear was exactly—though she was wondering the exact same thing. "What are Polar Bears," she dared to ask at the risk of sounding foolish.

"Oh theyre these four legged beasts from the living world," Yuzu said, still looking around. "They live in the north where it's really cold."

"That sounds neat." It hadn't sounded neat one bit.

"Maybe there's Penguins somewhere around there?" Yuzu said, pointing back to the sheets of ice floating in the sea several miles away.

Deadpanning, Rukia huffed and didn't risk asking again.

A shattering of ice clinked from below. Yuzu jolted straight. Rukia rubbed her back, calming the thumping in her chest. A frozen waterfall hung over a cliff-face next to them in large, jagged spikes of ice, as if inviting them to their deaths. "It's probably because of the spiritual pressure. Not much could survive here," Rukia said and pointed to the floating islands. "They're held up by some kind of magma pressure, don't ask."

Yuzu shuffled a little closer. "What do you mean? We're standing here just fine."

Rukia swallowed shallow breaths, considering the best choice words to keep her calm. Yuzu hadn't told about the spiritual pressure that could force her to her knees—or throw her into the air more accurately. The captains had asked Rukia to be the one to look after Yuzu when she had begged to watch Ichigo's fight. A test of course. They wanted a demonstration of her new power—badly. News spread of her so called training within hours after Byakuya vouched for her captaincy. She grimaced, a heavy weight of guilt falling over her shoulders.

Yuzu pulled at her hand. "Rukia?" she asked, looking up with curious eyes.

Inhaling a long breath of frozen air, Rukia brushed away the guilt. She couldn't lie to her—lie to Ichigo's little sister. Even about something as small as this, despite the deception being for her own good. And after all, Yuzu had become a Soul Reaper months ago. She'd handle it well, hopefully. "The pressure holding the islands hd increased as we ran deeper into this place. You wouldn't be able to breath if I wasn't shielding you right now."

Yuzu's eyes widened for a second before she looked around again. She nodded and peeked towards a waiting Zaraki on the frozen rock, expression blank. Rukia sighed and pulled her a little closer. Her defence mechanism for fear and worry was much like her own. She could be a littler sister, if it wasn't for the timid persona, or light hair. Perhaps Hisana would be more like her. Byakuya once mentioned what kind of woman she was—and only once.

"Can we stand with the captains?" Yuzu tugged at her again.

"No, Ichigo might notice something strange," Rukia said and redirected more of the ambient cold away from her. "The Illusion Kido would blend into the captains."

"Alright…" she said, looking down a tiny inch. "I just wanted to stand by Soifon as we—" She stopped with a strange expression.

Rukia looked over to the group of captains, to a sight with nothing out of place… except Soifon and Yoruichi weren't there. Of course they weren't. "They had a bit too much Sake at last night's SWA party at the beach back there."

Yuzu perked up with a small frown. "Why couldn't I go? I haven't been to a beach since I wa—" She stopped mid sentence, spinning her head back to the battlefield a hundred meters below, where a flash of bright purple-white revealed a perverted strawberry.

"Tch, I thought you got scared," Zaraki called out to him, barely audible from where Rukia stood.

"Can you hear?" she asked Yuzu.

She nodded.

"Tug at my hand if the spiritual pressure starts leaking through."

She didn't respond. A tick popped on Rukia's forehead and she nearly kicked her side. "Yuzu!"

"Huh? Yeah?" she said, blinking a couple of times.

Rukia let out a breath. "Tug me if you start to feel their spiritual pressure, kay?"

"Alright!" she said, smiling.

Rukia smiled back with her practised Kuchiki face and turned to the scene unfolding underneath. The frozen island stood on on didn't move much, and floated at the right angle to see and hear the fight without being too close. She glanced at the captains. Byakuya and the others looked to be bored, while the head captain and— captain Unohana appeared the most interested.

"So are you and Ichigo boyfriend and girlfriend like dad says?"

For a second it sounded like she knew her dirty secret, but turned out to be captain Shiba's usual antics. Rukia took a breath, calming her rising heartbeat. "Shhh… It's starting. We can barely hear," she said, dodging the question like a buffoon.

Yuzu giggled and nodded as Ichigo drew his blades.

* * *

A dry wind blew against Ichigo's exposed skin as he stared down Kenpachi.

"Tch, I thought you got scared," Kenpachi goaded, grinning and drawing his chipped blade. "Yachiru, head onto one of those flying pieces of rock," he said, patting her shoulder twice.

"Kay kenny! Hope you have fun!" she said and disappeared in a flash step towards one of the overhead Islands.

"You're going to be the the scared one in a minute, Kenpachi!" Ichigo yelled across the frozen, rocky plateau. A simple spiritual pressure buffer was all it took to shield himself from the sub-zero temperatures biting at skin.

"Then draw your blades!" he yelled, pointing his sword and raising his spiritual pressure. "And don't cut yourself this time!" he added with a smirk.

"Yeah, whatever…" Ichigo drew both blades in a swift motion, silently thanking Ukitake and Kyoraku, who were waving at the corner of his eye. He glanced at them, blinking. All the captains watched from atop a frozen island, except Yoruichi and Soifon... Probably still drunk from last night. And Rukia. He swivelled his head, stopping at a black-haired midget standing on an island a couple hundred meters off to the side. To his surprise, Renji stood at her side, looking like a matchstick at Ichigo's distance. He shrugged. It would his death to stand so close— and she would shield him with her new power.

"Are you done looking around?!" Kenpachi interrupted and charged.

"Shut it and fight, Kenpachi!" Ichigo raised his spiritual pressure and blocked his slash with a flick of his Katana. He raised his other blade and delivered a shallow cut onto his chest.

Kenpachi laughed maniacally, slashing with each syllable.

In a whirlwind of black steel, Ichigo parried and dodged every one of the brute's strikes. He smirked, and shifted his stance into an offensive. "Get ready, Kenpachi!" He increased his speed twofold, unleashing a barrage of quick strikes.

In mere seconds, Kenpachi had been covered in small lacerations across his upper body. Not a single one bled for more than a few seconds.

"Is that all you have?!" Kenpachi said.

Ichigo shot a stab of focus into his snowflake, charging an apex of spiritual energy into the edge of his blade. With a feint manoeuvrer, he lunged with both swords to impale.

The brutish captain blocked both his attacks with a tilt of his sword, then responded with his own spiritually charged blade. "Arrrhhhhh," he spat, and crashed down with an overhead chop.

Ichigo dodged in a flash step towards the side into the shade a low floating boulder.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" He fired two thirty-meter wide arcs of spirit energy—one indigo, one pitch black.

Kenpachi crashed into the the moonfangs head on, skidding backwards towards a boulder. With a pulse of his spiritual pressure, he cut though the fangs in a shower of spirit energy, still grinning like a madman. "Ha ha ha ha! This is it! This is how battle should be!" He ripped off his eye-patch, releasing a plume of golden spirit energy into the air, pushing back several of Ichigo's frozen islands.

Ichigo braced himself, sliding an inch on the slippery rock. He unplugged a more of his inner snowflake, effortlessly batting away Kenpachi's full pressure. Eyes narrowing, his body tensed under the strange development. Kenpachi hadn't been as strong when they fought or when he killed the fifth Espada. Something was wrong, something different was happening. What did the old head captain mean? Ichigo released over half of his snowflake and directed his power with deadly intent, cutting right through Kenpachi's golden energy.

Kenpachi's eyes widened further and his grin grew even more maniac. "Yes… Even at this level you still keep up," he bellowed and charged again.

"Arrrhh!" Ichigo hissed, spinning both his blades into a position for a unified strike. Black and Indigo erupted from his body, focusing onto his blades as he met the charge head on.

Their blades clashed in dazzling sparks. A tremendous explosion echoed across the tundra in a blinding dome of their combined spirit energy.

Sidestepping the fallout, Ichigo flashed to the side before he'd either be impaled or caught in the blast. Neck-length hair blowing in the wind from the blast behind, he took a cool breath and glanced at the captain—hoping he hadn't been kill or injured too much.

"What the hell?" he said, jaw dropping. The battle-crazed captain still stood, even with two deep gashes across his chest— that weren't bleeding at all anymore.

"You think I would go down that easy?" Kenpachi said, pointing his blade again.

Ichigo grimaced. "Looks like I was wrong."

"Lets go, or is that all you have?" Kenpachi stretched his arms and neck, then sifted into battle stance again. Pure offence. Nothing about the way he stood said control or a hint of caution.

There had to be something about the brute, as if his power increased after every crash, strengthening to levels of near invincibility after each battle. "Let's see how much you can handle," Ichigo said, releasing every single triangle tip. He conducted the rage of his spiritual pressure into a deathly resolve, aiming to push his crazed opponent to— push to what? What was the brutish captain hiding? He didn't even know the name of his Zanpukto.

Kenpachi grinned again as his growing golden aura was restricted back down to within a meter of himself. "How much I can handle?" he asked, chuckling. "DONT INSULT ME!" A burst of his spiritual pressure broke the hold for a second.

In an instant, Ichigo flash stepped behind him and carved two slices into his back. Blood sprayed into the air this time, and before Kenpachi twisted all the way around, he flashed again and lashed out, marring his chest with several deep, bleeding cuts.

"ARRRRGGHHH" Kenpachi roared and elbowed him in the side. "FIGHT LIKE A FUCKING MAN!"

Ichigo flash stepped away from him, smirking. "Sorry, I don't really know what's going on here." He charged his spirit energy into a tight ball at the tip of his Wakizashi. "But this will be the final test before I show you…" he trailed off. Explaining would only ruin the surprise of what he's got in store.

"What the hell is that small thing going to do?" Kenpachi asked with a gesture of his blade.

"Fragor," Ichigo whispered and threw the indigo ball at him.

Kenpachi stood there with his head tilted and Zanpukto at his side.

The Fragor zeroed in, colliding against his chest in a flash of indigo light.

A narrow but colossal explosion ripped through the sky in a beam of plasma. Gale winds erupted from the shockwave, shattering and cracking much of the plateau.

Breathing lightly, Ichigo sheathed his blades as smoke cleared around Kenpachi's smoldering form. Still alive, but the battle was over. His spiritual pressure collapsed as he struggled to stand, struggled to maintain composure of his burnt, bloodied body.

"I think I won, Kenpachi," Ichigo said, walking over to help him up. A heavy pang of disappoint spread through his core. He hadn't even needed to release what he prepared just for him.

"ARRRHHH." Kenpachi coughed up blooded onto the charred rock, falling onto one knee. "WHAT—THE—FUCK?!" He reached for his blade, stabbed upright into the ground. Screams of anguish echoed from the mistreated steel.

"Kenpachi!" Ichigo said again. "It's over!" He glanced over to the group of captains. From the look on their tiny faces, it appeared they agreed with his assessment. Unohana stared with large eyes, leaning forward in a comical posture. The head captain nodded. A signal. It was over.

"DAMMIT! HOW CAN I BE SO FUCKING WEAK?!"

Ichigo swallowed and reached out to help him—somehow. The sight resonated within him. A warrior wanting the strength to protect, to prove himself, to fight against an opponent in battle. They were much alike, Kenpachi and him, much alike yet so different. Both had people to protect and fight for, but complete opposites for why they fought. The brute lived on the blood of the battle, and he did not.

"Kenpachi…" he said, not sure what to do apart from heal him.

"YOU!" He said, gesturing with a fist. "The second—" The rest came out in a garbled choke as he spat out more blood.

Ichigo rushed to his side and drew his Wakizashi to heal him.

'Hey Ichi!' Tensa interrupted. 'You could awaken the powers he was suppressing the whole time right here.'

He paused, blade half way out of it's sheath. 'Suppressing?' he asked, but it clicked a second later. He mentally slapped himself for not realising sooner. Kenpachi had that eyepatch to lower his power just to be able to enjoy a fight—and if that was the case… he also held back on top of it, doing so without even realising.

Tensa laughed. 'Maybe you should pay attention to that old captain's lessons more closely.'

'Right,' he admitted in defeat. It had been obvious, in hindsight.

'Yup, Yama wasn't even that vague, you're just thicker than average.'

He smirked and glanced at the old head captain, stoic as usual with half opened eyes.

Standing over an unconscious Kenpachi, he considered the next move for half a minute, taking shallow breaths of dry air. 'What will happen if I do this? Will he be a danger to everyone?' he ask Tensa. No way in hell he would unlock Kenpachi's repressed power if he couldn't control it. He couldn't even do a damn flash step.

'You could train him. Or the old guy could.'

He nodded an inch. That was true, considering his own improvement—he wasn't that even far off from Kenpachi ten days earlier. And despite Kenpachi's blood thirst for battle, he did save Orihime and his own life back in the war. It was a debt to be paid, a debt to a fellow comrade. He sighed.

With his mind made up, he drew his Wakizashi again, hoping what will be awakened wouldn't be a disappointment compared to a few minutes ago.

'Compared to the display he just put on, I highly doubt it,' his Hollow spirit commented.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Thump. Thump. Thump. A headache pulsed through Soifon's temples as she lay on the softest mattress. Yawning, she creaked open her sore eyes and hugged the duvet tighter. But the mattress was no mattress, and it wasn't even part of her bed. She lay on top of lady Yoruichi's naked bosom, pressed tight against her face. Warm, soft, perky cushions she'd lay in for eternity to sooth the beating hangover.

"Oh, is my little bee finally awake?" Yoruichi said, stroking Soifon's back.

Her bare, naked back. She blinked. They slept in each other arms in a tangle, both naked, legs entwined. A hot blush shot up her face as she sat up, retreating from the embrace. "Lady Yoruichi! I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine," Yoruichi said, smiling. "In fact, it would have been better if Ichigo was also with us."

Soifon swallowed. She had no memories of the previous night, apart from hazy images of a bonfire—and plenty of dancing. Sexual, erotic dancing with a certain pervert. What the hell happened? She scowled and turned to demand for answers.

Yoruichi covered her mouth. "Remember Soifon… no backing out now," she whispered into her ear.

"But lady Yoruichi, this is highly inappro—"

"Are you saying you're incapable of satisfying Ichigo or me?"

"But," she stuttered. "It's just—" She grimaced, not able to come up with anything. She'd do anything for lady Yoruich, but for that pervert…

Yoruichi licked her ear. "You don't remember?"

"I…" A shiver of warm lust pulsed across her skin, pulling memories of a hot, incredible threesome out from the depths of her mind. "That was—" Nothing could be said about that day. She had been backed into a corner.

"Hmmm?" Yoruichi rose an eyebrow.

Soifon grumbled for half a minute. Defeated. That pervert already won, and Yoruichi was on his side. Of course she was, because deep down, Yoruichi was just like him. A terrible secret.

There was no point to remain so stuck-up anymore. "Don't you mean that you and that pervert better be able to satisfy me, lady Yoruichi?"

Yoruichi grinned and hugged her. "That's more like it."

Soifon breathed in her delicious tropical scent, thrusting against her velvet skin. The headache remained only in a dull throb at the back of her mind as their breasts fondled together. Her nipples hardened, prickling from the sensual touch. "Lady Yoruichi—"

A finger on her lips stopped her. "For the last time, just call me Yoruichi."

Soifon frowned. "Fine," she said and rhythmically moved her body against hers.

She ran her hand down to her lower lips.

"Not so fast little bee," Yoruichi said, stopping her hand. "No more until our next time with Ichigo. It's only fair."

"Wha— Why do we need to wait for that pervert?!" Soifon said, fighting against her resistance.

"Last night was nice, but I'd like a little something more."

When she said that, Soifon's shoulders slumped. "More than just myself?"

"Mmhmm."

Soifon narrowed her eyes—the Werecat still wasn't getting it. She tackled her down onto the bed, piercing into her cat-like eyes. Dare she sail into this dangerous territory? She had avoided this—a zone in their friendship she had kept tight-lipped on ever since that night. But now lines were crossed and Yoruichi was in control of herself.

Yoruichi blinked. "Soifon?"

"We didn't need to wait on a guy that night over hundred years ago," she dared to bring up, unlocking the vault within the corner of her mind. "Little kitty," she added just to be clear.

A minute of deathly silence echoed through the room.

"You still remember?" Yoruichi asked, eyes widening.

"Of course I remember." It was the best night of her life—until an orange haired war hero came along. It was a night of lust while Yoruichi was on heat, half transformed into a lust crazed beast. She couldn't control herself, and there wasn't anything that could be done before it happened. "Am I nothing but a thing for you to satisfy your lust with, Yoruichi?" she asked, staring into her slanted, golden eyes.

Yoruichi's expression softened after a moment. "Shaolin…" She took hold of Soifon's face, her hand cupping her mocha cheek. "If you still remember that night, then you know how I am…"

How she was. How that pervert was. And now, how Soifon would be as well just to stay by her side.

"Lady Yoruichi… What am I to you?" she choked out, almost tearing up. Everything of her life was dedicated to Lady Yoruichi. Everything and every last moment, before she disappeared a hundred years ago. And even now.

After a minute, Yoruichi sighed and smiled. "I'm surprised my little bee…" she said and patted her arm twice. "You should be able to figure it out by now."

Soifon grimaced. That was such a Yoruichi like response—infuriating but deeply rooted into her unique charm. A captivating charm of hers that had endured till this day. "I don't understand."

Yoruichi's light laugh echoed through the bedroom. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked, still smirking. "You're my—"

A rumbling quake tore through the room in jolting vibrations. Through the panoramic window, a flash of purple light illuminated a column of sky in the distance over Ichigo's division.

"Looks like we're late for Ichigo's fight," Yoruichi said and reached for her clothes.

Soifon scowled. That pervert had gotten in the way so many times before, and now again. "Yoruichi! What were you going to say?!"

Yoruichi chuckled, dressing in a hurry, as if Ichigo's fight with that brute of a captain was so important. "I'll tell you what," she said, glancing at her with that infuriating smirk. "You're it." She tapped her shoulder and flash stepped through the window.

Her temper flared. She dressed in the same uniform and followed.

* * *

Icy rock under Rukia's feet swayed back and forth in a pendulum ever since Ichigo unleashed his finishing move. His attack hadn't been that powerful—by her new standards—but that didn't mean the impressed expressions some of the younger captains put on were fake. The look on Byakuya's face was priceless. But he calmed back to his stoic self, for almost twenty minutes now, and that barbarian Zaraki still lay on the ground despite already have been healed by Ichigo. What were they waiting for? Why did the head captain signal everyone to back off and stay?

Captain Shiba grinned, and waved to her with overt swings of his arm.

She deadpanned, only giving him a single wave of acknowledgement. He'd have a foot in his face right now if he stood next to her. And Ichigo had given her permission to do that whenever necessary.

"What are we waiting for?" Yuzu asked, for the third time.

"I don't really know," Rukia said, tilting her dead. "Just keep an eye on the head captain in case he signals again."

"Okay…" She swung their joined hands back and forth, and after half a minute, she said, "Are you also that powerful?"

Rukia flickered her eyes at her, calculating what she'd think of her Hollowfication. She knew Ichigo had the same power in him, but never brought it up again after the slip-up at the SWA meeting days ago. "Yes," she said in an imitation of Nemu's voice, then looked back towards Ichigo, who sat on a boulder, still meditating. And even now, Zaraki still lay on the ground next his blade, stabbed into the ground like a marker of his defeat.

"Really…?" Yuzu asked in a playful tone. "You're not that much taller than I am…"

Rukia's eye twitched. How could someone shorter than her bring that up? "And how does that determine how powerful I am?"

"Hmmm," she mumbled, putting a finger on her chin. "Soifon said that it's determined by how much spirit energy someone has, so shorties like us shouldn't be able to hold much, right?"

'That would explain a lot,' Sode added.

Rukia's foot also twitched, nearly kicking her head in. "Yuzu!"

Her eyes snapped up. "Did I say something?"

A frustrated gargle rumbled in her throat. "Being short has no relation to how powerful someone is! Just look at captain Hitsugaya!"

She blinked. "Oh you mean Toshiro? But didn't he—"

"End of discussion!" Rukia snapped, narrowing her eyes.

"Alright…" Yuzu said, giggling and swinging their hands again. "So why does Ichigo have two Zanpuktos?"

The abrupt change of subject nearly gave Rukia whiplash. Something about a young girl's mind was quite offsetting—already a hundred years had since her mind had been similar, back in the Rukongai, with Renji and her now dead friends. Friends buried in graves that she hadn't once visited, or even payed respect too. Nor did she once think about them often, or contemplate moving their graves to somewhere respectable, like the rich cemeteries of the Kuchiki clan. She'd have to bring that up with Byakuya some time.

"Rukia?" Yuzu poked her side.

Rukia swiveled her head. "Oh, it's just some Zanpukto spirits are split into two," she said in a plain tone, as if it was an everyday occurrence. "It's extremely rare. Ichigo's the third in history to have a Zanpukto like that."

Yuzu appeared to understand, nodding once, and after a few seconds, she adopted a strange expression that Rukia couldn't read. "Ive met my spirit, but there's also a mysterious guy in my inner world," she said and scratched her head. "He doesn't like answering my questions."

A mysterious guy as a separate spirit… Which only meant… Rukia's eyes widened in understanding. "Yuzu…" she said in her most serious tone. "It's not my place to say who or what he is, but he doesn't mea—"

Zaraki's spiritual pressure washed over them in beams of gold light. Pressure higher and denser than anything the barbarian ever gave off. Much more powerful than before—close at the level of the head captain. She released her entire snowflake in a flurry of triangle smashing, managing to buffer away the pressure from Yuzu. She stopped shaking and flashed Rukia a smile. Sweet as ever.

"Now the real fight begins!" Zaraki bellowed. "Release your Zanpukto before I cut you in two!"

Rukia rose an eyebrow. Indeed, he had somehow increased his strength twofold, but still not that strong. The level of Ichigo and her Shikais were on different planes of power compared to their sealed states. She glanced at the head captain. Expressionless. Captain Unohana however… She was ecstatic. Was this why they were so interested in the fight? Were they trying to awaken Zaraki's potential?

"Release Tensa Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked, still in a meditative pose. "Do you really think you have the ability to make me do that?"

"HA HA HA HA" Zarakai raised his Zanpukto—his clean Zanpukto without any dents or chips. "Drink…" he began as his spiritual pressure condensed around him, and imploded into his blade. "Nozarashi!"

With a short chant, Rukia erected a barrier around herself and Yuzu before his release finished. Luckily for her, it was the right decision. The torrent of pressure hammered against her teal barrier, close to cracking the high level Kido. That was impressive. She doubted even Byakuya could break her barriers now.

The explosion of golden spirit energy died down, revealing Zaraki's new Shikai. In his hand, he held an over-sized butcher's knife without a hilt or guard, but an extension of the giant blade wrapped in bandages offered a grip—much like Ichigo's old cleaver. A cleaver larger than the barbarian himself, larger, and more menacing.

With a swift motion, he cut through the air, firing a razor of spiritual pressure at Ichigo.

Rukia could have sworn the white of Ichigo's eyes were black as his lips moved, then stretched out one arm, palm bleeding. A white ball lined with red grew to the size of a large volleyball.

A Cero.

A completely different Ichigo sat on that boulder. A half-hollow Ichigo.

He fired.

Rukia pulled Yuzu to an island further back, blocking her view of the explosion. The illusion Kido and barrier held.

"What— what was that?" she asked, voice shaking. "It looked like what that Menos Grande used."

Rukia explained in a rushed of words, tone measured to be comforting. "I'm not exactly sure what Ichigo has planned for this fight, but he's not going to release his Zanpukto." As if Zaraki's new release would even be a match for something of that calibre—and by the look of tense composure on Byakuya, everyone could still feel his pressure. "But judging from that Cero, he'll probably use his Hollow powers," she explained, putting her hands on Yuzu's shoulder.

Yuzu swallowed, then nodded after several seconds.

Rukia glanced back at the fight. They were exchanging blows. And Ichigo had received several deep cuts to his torso and upper-arms.

"Do you want to leave?"

Yuzu peeked around her, eyes widening. "Ichigo! He's—"

"Don't worry, he can reform even if he gets cut in half," Rukia said in a casual tone. "Do you want to leave?" she asked more sternly.

The scared teen only stared at her injured brother, her face pale.

"Yuzu."

She shook her head, expression hardening. "It's Ichigo. He'll always be my brother,' she said and tugged her back towards their their first island.

Rukia let herself be pulled in her slow flash step and added spirit energy to the barrier. She sighed, pulling her closer towards the centre of their spherical barrier.

Yoruichi and Soifon appeared in a flash next to her barrier, wearing matching stealth outfits that revealed much of their breasts and back. They exchanged greetings with Yuzu, chattering away like usual.

Rukia tuned out their smalltalk, watching Ichigo stare down Kenpachi across the small plateau again, his toned body unmarred with any injury. His Haori fluttered on the ledge of a boulder, leaving him with just his sleek, matte-black Shihakshou. She'd have to make him conjure up someone more fashionable for her sometime.

"I have to say, Kenpachi," he said, smirking again. "That oversized knife is impressive, but still not enough for my release."

"Tch, stop boasting!" Zaraki said, gesturing his Axe as if it weighed nothing.

"Dont worry, I've got something prepared just for you…" Ichigo trailed off, brining his arm to his chest, katana still in hand. Black and red spirit energy burst from his form, flooding most of the plateau. Pure, unfiltered Hollow pressure saturated the air in billions of particles, pressing down on Rukia like the weight of desert.

"What the hell is happening?!" Soifon shouted, hands balled into fists.

"It's his inner hollow," Yoruichi said, looking towards the captains, who were reacting similarly to Soifon. Only the head captain remained calm.

"Is he in trouble?" Yuzu asked, pulling against Rukia's arm. "Aren't you going to help him?"

"We have to do something before he loses control!" Soifon exclaimed, gesturing with a wave of her arm.

Zaraki grinned. "So this is what you've been hidin' from me eh?"

"He is in control," Rukia said as the last tendrils of red-black spirit energy faded away, revealing his Hollowfied form, exactly like his Quincy-Hollow spirit had taken during her own Hollowfication. "This is the entirety of his Hollow Power. You should still be able to feel bits of it that I cant push back, don't be scared, it's still Ichigo," she said, rubbing Yuzu's back.

"How do you know?" Yuzu whispered, her face pale again.

Soifon tensed into a slight crouch, a hand on her Zanpukto hilt. Yoruichi put a hand on her shoulder as Ichigo looked up to them, with hollow eye sockets in a white-black horned mask, covering his entire head. Waist-length orange hair drifted in the wind.

"Do you think he can see through the illusion?" Yoruichi asked, nudging the barrier.

Rukia shook her head. "He'd be reacting differently."

Ichigo opened his mouth, two rows of jagged teeth separating. "RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

They all tensed. Rukia's heart banged against her chest.

"RRAAAAAAAAAAAA"

"I'm over here!" Zaraki said, waving with his Axe. "Did that transformation also make you stupid?!"

"Shit!" Soifon said, trying to block the view of Yuzu.

Ichigo flailed his arms almost— comically, and gestured to his neck. "RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Rukia blinked a couple of times as what he was trying to say clicked. He couldn't talk. She sighed and mentally slapped that idiot. "The idiot can't talk!" she announced, in case they hadn't figured out.

The captains calmed down somewhat, although captain Shiba still had a troubled expression. Byakuya closed his eyes and the others shrugged it off. After a moment, Yoruichi laughed, and Soifon sauntered back to her side, muttering under her breath. "Ughh… Just ignore them."

"Tch, I don't care if you can talk! Just fucking fight!" Zaraki roared, charging with his Axe in both hands.

"It looks like Ichi's wearing a Halloween costume," Yuzu said as they collided.

Glancing at her, Rukia debated whether to comment on her sudden cheerful attitude. She took it well—too well, as if it was an act like Rukia's. But Yuzu wasn't one for acting. Rukia smiled and turned back to the fight, though what she said piqued her interest.

"What's Halloween?" Rukia asked at the same time as Soifon and Yoruichi. Ichigo clashed against Zaraki's brute swings with graceful slashes, blurred in fuzzes of Sonido at the corner of her eye.

"Halloween?" Yuzu said, blinking. "Oh it's this western holiday where we dress up as monsters and go around houses asking for candy."

"RAAA" A black Cero shot through the air.

Zaraki cut it into two, diverting the beam into nearby floating boulders. Rukia shrugged and turned back to the conversation.

"Whats the point of that?" Soifon asked, raising an eyebrow. "That sounds ridiculous."

"I think it sounds fun," Yoruichi said, grinning. "I'd go as a talking cat."

Soifon deadpanned. "I'm sure you would, you—"

Yoruichi covered her mouth, humming a tune. "What's that Soifon? You want to go for a girls night out with a certain someone?" she asked, smirking suggestively. "You in, Rukia?"

"Of. Course," she said in her Nemu voice and bit her lip. She had already agreed to their so called arrangement—their sick, twisted, perverted arrangement just to please an idiot. Ichigo… The strawberry who had turned out to be insatiable. The strawberry putting on a brilliant display of speed and Hollow power this moment, firing endless Ceros between Sonidos.

Yuzu tugged at her again. "Are you three talking about Ichigo?"

Rukia blushed as another black Cero flew over their heads. "No, Soifon has a secret boyfriend," she lied, not able to come up with anything better.

Soifon's jaw hardened. "It's not anything serious," she said, glaring at Rukia. "In fact, he's bit of a pervert. I doubt it will last."

A wave of golden spirit energy erupted into the air. Rukia glanced at their fight, to a scene of Ichigo struggling to block Zaraki's two-handed swing.

"Is that so?" Yoruichi said, leaning an elbow on Soifon's shoulder. "I thought it was getting quite serious. I'm sure it'll last for at least a thousand years."

Rukia gulped, images of countless five-ways coming to mind. What did she get herself into?

Soifon scoffed. "A THOUSAND YEARS?!"

"Who is he? Is he cute?" Yuzu asked as the struggle between Zaraki and Ichigo continued in a plume of dark-red and gold.

"Oh he is," Yoruichi said, patting her head.

"No, he is not!" Rukia and Soifon said together.

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow.

"Do I know him?" Yuzu asked.

"Oh, you—"

Soifon stopped Yoruichi with a hand slapped over her mouth. "He's a noble."

Rukia mentally thanked her quick thinking. Ichigo had been born into the Shiba family after all. "So how often does this Halloween happen?" she changed the subject.

Yuzu touched her chin for a second. "It's every year at the end—" She paused as the island shook for several seconds.

They stood facing each other again, heavily wounded with deep stab marks and lacerations. Ichigo's many cuts and missing chunk of his shoulder regenerated in a bubble of white goo as usual. Zaraki however… He was cut up, to say the least. Rukia brushed it off. Her Ichigo would be fine and that barbarian wouldn't be missed anyway. "Every year at the end of?" she said, turning back to yuzu and smiling.

"Oh, at the end of October," Yuzu said, joining back into the chatter, and perked up "We could do it with the SWA this year."

"Yeah, but that's months away…" Yoruichi said, shifting her weight. "Are there any other living world holidays coming up?"

"And how come you don't know any of them Rukia?" Soifon said. "You were in the living world for over three months living as a human,"

Rukia inwardly groaned. "The world of the living is harder than it looks." She placed a hand on her hip.

Several pulses of spiritual pressure tapped against the barrier from the continuing fight below.

"Hmmm…" Yuzu mumbled with a frown. "There's easter… and a couple of Japanese holidays, but I like the western ones better."

"Easter?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah, it's where people dress up as the easter bunny and put chocolate eggs everywhere for you to find!"

Easter bunny.

Bunny.

Rukia smiled—a genuine smile. "Like Chappy?!"

Soifon facepalmed and Yoruichi dropped to a deadpan.

Yuzu blanked. "What's Cha—"

The largest burst of spiritual pressure yet hammered against the barrier. Rukia spun her gaze back to the tundra. Ichigo floated midair, bisected from shoulder to waist as the bottom half of his body dissipated in a cloud of Reishi. And Zaraki collapsed in a spray of blood, ebony blades sticking out of his throat and side.

"ICHIGO!" Yuzu screamed and flash stepped into the barrier, knocking herself out.

Yoruichi and Soifon stood speechless, mouths agape, but Rukia knew better. He'd be fine like usual. He better be. She lowered Yuzu onto the ground and checked her vitals, but kept an eye on Ichigo. His regeneration had already activated in a shudder of spiritual pressure, white goo and purple spirit energy reforming his body a surprising rate. His Hollow form shattered off him, reverting his hair back to normal lengths. "idiot…" she muttered and flash stepped to check on him.

* * *

Ichigo stretched his limbs as he woke, yawning and shaking his groggy head. Apparently he had been taken back to his small office's bedroom. A weight pushed against his chest— just Tensa. She breathed in ragged, short breaths into his chest, sobbing. His blue haired spirit was sobbing. She was crying... like a normal girl for once.

"Tensa," he said, putting his arms around her. "Are you okay?" His voice came out in a weak husk. This was the first time she was like that—being very not-Tensa like. And he never had any experience on how to deal with crying women, or even how to find out what was wrong.

"Ichigo!" she yelled into his chest. "You could have died."

He swallowed as the battle with Kenpachi and brutal ending replayed in vivid colours in his eyes. "Ahh… Sorry?" She kept sobbing. "Promise me Ichigo…" she trailed off, hugging him tighter.

"Yeah?" he asked, shaking her gently. Seeing her like that tore at his core. Something had to be done, even if it was a promise—a promise that could be anything.

"Promise me that you'll never ask me to hold back our power like that again," she said, barely audible.

He grumbled for a couple of seconds. The battle had been more than enjoyable, surprisingly, and if he never held back then every battle would be over in a second. "But—"

"Promise me!"

He scowled. "But you know how much we enjoyed—"

"Or no more sex with anyone!"

His eyes widened. His heart thumped twice. His waist dropped to ice-cold temperatures. "I PROMISE!" he choked out, not daring to risk it.

She perked up and grinned, without any tears on her face. "Great!" she chirped and looked to the door. "You three can come in now!"

He blinked. "Tensa…" he began, but gave up in a groan. She won yet again, for the thousandth time. One day he would win. One day. But today was not the day, and neither would it be any of the days in the near future if the previous days said anything.

She whistled a tune, and snuggled into his side as Yoruichi, Soifon and Rukia walked in. He gulped, bracing himself for the worst. Yoruichi would be the easiest to handle since she was the most like him—in terms of being a pervert anyway. Soifon would need more convincing since they weren't on the best terms. And Rukia…

He'd suffer a painful death in a minute.

"Ichigo," Yoruichi said, crossing her arms.

"Pervert," Soifon added with a glare.

And then there was Rukia. She narrowed her eyes. "We have decided…" she said, punching his arm. "You will take all of us out on a date to make up for worrying us."

"Wait, ladies, I was just holding back to en—" He paused, just hearing what she actually said. "A date?"

"Yes, you idiot! A date!"

"Don't tell me you don't know what a date is," Yoruichi said.

"He probably doesn't," Soifon said. "I bet only he only has sick fantasies involving us."

"Yup, you're right!" Tensa confirmed. Soifon narrowed her eyes.

He looked at the three one by one, inwardly squirming. He had never went on a date before, especially not with three beautiful women—all differing in personality and tastes. There would only be one thing they all had in common… "Does an orgy right now count?"

"NO!" they shouted as Tensa burst out laughing.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Ichigo's three girlfriends stood at the edge of a cliff as he sauntered his way out of a path drenched in vines and serrated leaves. So far, the date proved to be boring as hell. Most of morning had involved himself listening to their mindless chatter about their everyday lives and interests—none of which interested him. Rukia rambled on about her Chappy collections and daily life as a noble, much like Soifon to his surprise. Soifon who had been born into the Feng clan, and grew up to serve Yoruichi.

"Could you possibly move slower, sex addict?" Soifon called cover her shoulder.

Sex addict. That's what she decided on after he snapped at her earlier. "Yeah, just don't want to stand too close to all the noise."

Her eyes narrowed, for the countless time. "Are you insulting Yoruichi?"

"I'm just stating a fact," he said as he walked even slower.

"The fact it's noise because you don't know how to listen?"

He scowled. "I've been listening to Chappy and how obsessed you are with Yoruichi for over twenty minutes now."

To his surprise, she didn't have anything to say to that, but she snarled, and drew a fist.

Yoruichi chuckled and held her back. "Did you two forget we're on a date?" she asked, moving a hand to her breast. "There's plenty of time to have another sexy spar later."

"And don't you dare leave me out again either, idiot!" Rukia added, glaring at him.

So she wanted it bad as well.

Days had already passed since he last had sex, and his horny spirit decided it was the perfect time to decide nothing would satisfy her other than an orgy with everyone included. "Why can't we just have that five-way right now?" he mumbled, itching to get his hands on them.

"The point of these dates is to get to know each other," Yoruichi said, crossing her arms. "I thought even you'd be able to figure that out."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he said, waving an arm. "I already you know—"

"Oh really?" Rukia interrupted. "What district did I grow up in?"

He blanked. Nothing came up from his vast memory banks. Only endless comments about Chappy, or her noble life and Byakuya.

'Don't get ahead of yourself. I wouldn't call your memory vast,' his Hollow spirit said.

Ichigo mentally growled him off. "What does that have to do with anything?" he asked her, gesturing with an open palm. "It's just a number. You grew up in one of the poorest, outer districts right?"

"Hmph…"

Ichigo smirked. He won one finally. Not against Tensa, but at least he could match Rukia now.

"It's not wise to make a woman feel dumb," Rukia said, also smirking. "Especially with one you want to sleep with."

His grin faded. Apparently he still lost.

Rukia glanced at Soifon. "Your turn."

Ichigo looked between them. They were much more coordinated than usual, as if they had this whole thing planned out. As if he had been hiking right into some kind of trap.

Soifon put on a devious expression. "What's my favourite Hakuda technique?"

Favourite. Hakuda. Technique. There were different techniques for that? His old man only ever kicked and punched, which had been good enough in the previous spar. But Soifon and Yoruichi could've been going easy on him, and if that was the case… he'd have to be more rough next time—in more ways than one.

"Shunko?" he half asked, spitting out the first thing that came to mind. Yoruichi did mention such a technique once.

Soifon rose an eyebrow. "And that's a Hakuda technique?"

Ichigo scratched his head, mentally flipping a coin. "Yes…"

An near invisible smirk spread across her lips. "Hmph. You're wrong on both counts."

"idiot…" Rukia added.

"Well how the hell would I know what it was in the first place?"

"Maybe if you had better listening skills…" Soifon suggested with a glint in her eye.

His shoulder's slumped. He'd never win a single one, at this rate.

Yoruichi's laugh echoed into the pathway. "Shunko is a mix of Hakuda and Kido," she revealed, leaning against Soifon. "We might teach it to you some time, depending on how well you do…" she trailed off.

"How well I do in what?"

They all smirked. Rukia gestured for him to join them at the ledge.

He approached and looked around.

Nothing but thick mist filled his sight and airways, in every direction, and there appeared to be no bottom to the chasm. "You've got something planned in this mist?" he asked, fanning away a couple of meters around him.

Rukia raised her spiritual pressure and drew her Zanpukto. Slashed through the air, she cleared a few hundred meters.

Ichigo blinked, stepping backwards in alarm. Indeed, the chasm sunk into the earth in a bottomless pit, as was revealed when the top layer of mist receded—receded around a hundred rock-columns, rising out of the ravine in smooth, and symmetrical grey rock. As if they had been cut by hand. He looked to the column only a few meters away. The top had been cut flat, and had a symbol for one had been etched onto it.

"These are the SekkiSeki rock mines," Yoruichi said. "Or what's left of them. The poles lets workers flash step down to the bottom, but my little bee and I decided they would be much more useful for training." She looked to Soifon. "Each one of these SekkiSeki footholds have a number etched onto them. They are in a perfect grid—"

"Our date is flash step training?" Ichigo asked. He could beat any of them in flash step by just raising his spiritual pressure, and if anything, their previous sex-spar session proved he could keep up with them—just barely.

"Don't get any Ideas," Soifon said. "This date isn't nearly over."

He wiped off the grin that was apparently on his face. "But I already beat you and Yoruichi in flash step."

Yoruichi smiled, and Rukia kicked his side. "Let us finish strawberry!"

That midget sure hurt now, way more than anyone else. "Tch, fine…" he said, rubbing his ribs.

"What do you think girls?" Yoruichi asked, and undid the knot of her uniform behind her neck. "I think we should just get right to it. He won't listen otherwise."

"Hmph, fine by me," Rukia said, frowning an inch.

Soifon grimaced and crossed her arms. "I doubt there would by any other way to get it into his sex-crazed head."

Ichigo opened his mouth, but dropped to a blank. Now, he was certain they had something planned, but according to what he overheard from Keigo one time, it was the guy's job to plan out dates.

"By that stupid look, does it mean it's finally clicking?" Rukia said, laying her Zanpukto by a tree.

Yoruichi chuckled, and— took off her stealth uniform. So did Soifon. And then Rukia too. They finished with their underwear and tossed their clothing onto a nearby branch, leaving their bodies bare to see. Mocha skin and large breasts. Petite bodies and perfect vulvae.

What the hell was happening? He didn't care, he only wanted one thing, and that wasn't flash step training. Without thinking, he threw himself at them as his cock hardened.

"Bakudo 8: Seki," Rukia said, holding up her palm.

He crashed nose first into her raised palm, and ricocheted into the ground, eating a mouthful of dust. "Gah! What the hell?!"

He spat it out, and before he could get up, they were already gone in blurs of flash step. "Hey girls!" he called out, already half lost in lust that built up for days. "Come back here so we can—"

"Shut it pervert!" Rukia and Soifon shouted together from within the mist, which already wafted back to the cliff-edge.

Pervert. That name again. "I'm not a pervert! I'm just—"

"The biggest pervert in the Seireitei?" Rukia called out.

He growled into the mist. Years of hard work to build up a tough image was destroyed, by an irresistible blue haired Zanpukto spirit of all people. Perhaps if didn't repress himself so much, or perhaps he just accepted Yoruichi's offer back when he trained for Bankai. But that was the past, and now he was branded a pervert.

'Aww don't blame me ichi… I'm only what you secretly wanted.'

'Yeah, whatever…'

She giggled, and retreated her back into the depths of his mind.

"No answer?" Yoruichi said from within the mist. "lets get this started then."

He took a breath of humid air and stretched for a few seconds, preparing to launch off in his best flash step with his limited spiritual pressure. He crouched and wrapped his feet with his power, ready to spring when she gave the signal.

"We'll ask questions in turns, to see if you were really listening back during our hike," Soifon said, voice dripping with amusement.

"And with each wrong answer, we'll flash step away from you," Yoruichi added. "But if you answer right, you get to come one pole closer to the person who you answered right."

"If you can't answer any question right, before we get to the other side, you're not getting any for a month idiot!" Rukia finished.

Uncoiling from his crouch, he choked from the display of their very rehearsed game. "What the hell?!" he shouted, loosing control over a couple of triangles of his snowflake. "I wasn't even paying attention back there!"

"So you admit it then!" Soifon snapped, raising her own spiritual pressure.

"N-No" he stuttered. "I just got bored, after Rukia kept talking about Kuchiki traditions!"

"Idiot strawberry," Rukia said again along with Yoruichi's laughter.

"First question!" Soifon shouted.

His heart fluttered.

"What is my opinion and values on noble culture within Soul Society?!"

He mentally groaned. That was the most boring part of their chatter, and he was more captivated by parrots and butterflies near a spring. He could give them a better recount of the patterns and colors on various butterflies.

"Is it something to do with Yoruichi?" he answered weakly, praying it would be at least quarter right.

"Wrong!" she declared, flash stepping in a faint buzz.

"We were talking about that for over thirty minutes. strawberry!"

"I just— I…"

This was bad—worse than when he confessed how much he wanted to fuck all three of them. If he didn't do something quick, he'd be driven insane by the end of the month. Silvery laughter echoed in his mind. "Please, I can't go an entire month…" he mumbled.

Ten seconds of silence passed.

"What was that?" Yoruichi asked pointedly. "Did the great and powerful Ichigo just beg?"

After a moment, he perked up. Begging could work. "Yes! Please! I promise I'll listen for now on!"

"From now on?" she said, fanning away some of mist and revealing her voluptuous body. "You promise you'll put in the effort to get to know us? Soifon and I are hundreds of years old you know." She shot him a feline scowl, putting a hand on her curvy hip.

His jaw dropped an inch. He knew they were at least as old as Rukia, but hundreds of years? He was like an infant compared to them. "Yes…" he said, sighing.

"Alright," she said, and looked over her shoulder. "What about you two?"

"You're fucking three nobles now, you pervert!" Soifon shouted, still hidden in the mist. "So you better start learning how to act like one!"

He glared into the mist. There was no way in hell he would learn out to act like Byakuya. But he'd have to if it meant never devouring her body again. "Fine."

"And you, Rukia?" Yoruichi asked.

"That about covers it." She also remained hidden in the mist.

His heart calmed down, finally, but then she said: "Since we're still on a date, we're going to Chappyland!"

Chappy. Land. "That's the most stupid sounding place Ive ever—"

"CHAPPYLAND!" She roared as Soifon and Yoruichi chuckled.

"I haven't been in a while actually, it might be fun," Yoruichi said, grinning.

"Likewise," Soifon agreed.

"What! how can you all want to—"

"Chappyland! Or no deal!" Rukia said, flash stepping into view and pointing a finger at him. "Or do you want to go an entire month without this." She ran her hands over her petite body.

Yoruichi flashed over to her pole and joined in, pressing herself up behind her and smothering her smaller body. Rukia didn't appear to mind, and even moaned when Yoruichi's hands caressed her nether regions. They continued for over half a minute. "Well?" Rukia said again, crossing her arms.

"Yes. Anything. More." He wasn't even thinking, only hypnotised by their display—lost in his own lust.

"Knew you'd see it our way," Rukia said, and flash stepped over to her clothing.

He blinked, and slumped in disappointment as they dressed in a flurry.

"Lets go! Chappyland awaits!" Yoruichi said, leaving in a flash step along with Rukia and Soifon.

* * *

Already five years passed since Rukia visited Chappyland—all thanks to her increasing duties in the thirteenth division. Captain Ukitake had grown to rely on her more each passing year. After kaien— passed away, she had become more or less the acting lieutenant whenever Kiyone and Sentaro slacked, or ran off arguing over something trivial. She became more powerful, especially after she achieved Shikai, and now… Perhaps even more than her captain.

"Rukia?" Ichigo said, nudging her shoulder.

She snapped her eyes up to him, to his calming brown eyes, and sexy hard features. "Just thinking about my upcoming captain exam," she half-lied, because he had gotten used to such strength a long time ago. She'd have to just suck it up—so to speak—and get used to it. "Byakuya said the head captain gives you several riddles to solve in the first half of it."

He blinked, and deadpanned. "Yeah, tell me about it," he said, taking a drink from his bottle. "If he asks the one about what occurs once every minute, It's the letter M."

She frowned, not understanding the solution of the riddle. The letter M had nothing to do with minutes, nor did time have anything to do with an alphabet. It had to be something abstract, or extremely deep, or implied between the words.

He chuckled. "Ive never seen you concentrate so hard on something."

She blushed, and punched his arm. "Shut it idiot!"

The letter M.

Every minute.

Nothing made sense—how could the two be possibly connected in any way? Only an insane person like the strawberry next to her could make a connection.

"Want a hint?"

Was he insulting her? "NO!"

He chuckled again, and turned to Soifon and Yoruichi—probably to hit on them again. He couldn't stop feeling up Soifon when she sat next to him on the Chappy-coaster, like a lust crazed animal that had been depraved of sex, which would be true. She glanced at him through the corner of her eye—the hot, muscled sex beast she hadn't fucked in days now. She shook her head, and sipped a mouthful from her own matching Chappy-bottle. Something had been up with her libido ever since his new Zanpukto spirit drugged her.

The letter M.

She punched the bench—a little too hard. The old wood cracked down the middle. No way in hell the idiot could have figured that out on his own.

The illusion Kido around Ichigo flickered for a second, but Yoruichi was already onto it. She had also trained to the level of a Kido master apparently, even rivalling Urahara or captain Ukitake. It was expected of course—being exiled with him for over a century would naturally boost one's abilities. That and being best friends helped a lot. Best friends. Thats what they said, but if Rukia had to guess, they'd fucked hundreds if not thousands of times already.

She breathed, and ripped up more pieces of bread to feed the ducks. They crowded by their feet at the edge of the pond. Chappy-duck hybrids the twelfth division had cooked up to abuse Chappyland for an extra source of income. They were still cute nevertheless. Rabbit ears, fluffy white feathers, and whiskers decorated their duck bodies. She smiled and let one nibble out of her hand.

Something Soifon said caught her attention. "So what plans do you have for your division?"

Ichigo's eyebrow rose, forming a single crease on the flawless skin of his forehead. "I haven't really thought about it," he said, scratching his head, and grinned two seconds later. "But its great if you want to sneak away and have—"

"I wasn't asking about that."

Yoruichi grinned and kissed his cheek, and then leaned to his ear, whispering in a nonchalant expression. But by the blush on his face... "idiot!" Rukia said, throwing her empty bottle at him. The Chappy lid squeaked.

"Aw don't be jealous Rukia, we're all in this together now, right Soifon?"

Soifon closed her eyes, taking a large breath. "Right."

Ichigo inched closer to Soifon, dragging Yoruichi along. He received punch in the stomach for that. "Can't you see there's people here?!" she said, narrowing her eyes. "You're luckily we're skilled enough to cast this Kido."

He put on a goofy grin. "Yeah, sorry, it's just I haven't gotten any in a few days now."

"Well you were just fine with being a prude months ago," Soifon said.

Rukia nodded at her point. "It's your new spirit right?"

And just on cue, she materialised in a swirl of purple and black spirit energy, wearing a revealing Shihakshou. "Yup you got that right!" she said, smiling so wide that it made her look like a clown. "His desires are so great that they can't possibly be repressed again!"

Rukia scrambled to block the view of his spirit, along with Soifon. Luckily none of the other Soul Reapers who had also taken the day off noticed. They kept their distance, and good for reason too—two captains and a lieutenant together was a rare sight to see, even in the Seireitei centre where captains and lieutenants often bump into each other. Though, captains and lieutenants usually stuck with each other in their own cliques, and rarely ventured into the outskirts of the Seireitei capital.

His spirit giggled. "Don't worry, no one other than you four can see me."

Yoruichi frowned a fraction. "How does that work?"

She shrugged. "I dunno."

"You don't know?

"I dunno…" she said, poking her tongue into her cheek. "It just happens on instinct."

Rukia also frowned. That only meant the powers of the Hogyoku were more Hollow-like than they originally thought. Urahara still hadn't divulged how he and Aizen had created it—every time someone had asked, he merely tensed his jaw and mumbled a half-answer. "Do you know how you were created?"

"Yup!" she squeaked, picking up a Chappy-duck, which didn't seem to mind being handled by her. "I was born from Ichigo's infinitely deep lust!"

He groaned into his palms, sobbing like a kid.

"Don't be so dramatic," Soifon said, whacking him over the head. "It's unbecoming."

Rukia ignored their exchanged and questioned his spirit again. "I mean, how was the Hogyoku created?"

She tilted her head, stroking the Chappy-duck. It quacked a couple of times as her purple spirit energy fizzled against it's feathers. "I really dunno." She set the duck back on the ground. "I just exist and do stuff with these fun powers." And as she said that, the Chappy-duck turned into a real Chappy, bouncing around in the grass, picking up pieces of bread the ducks couldn't reach.

"Tensa!" Ichigo exclaimed, picking up the Chappy. "You can't just do stuff like this!"

"I just did."

"What the hell did you do to this thing?"

"Isn't that obvious?

Ichigo groaned and poked the Chappy a few time.

Rukia leaned forward, taking in every little detail of the rabbit. It was perfect. It was beautiful—the most beautiful Chappy ever. It blinked, and looked at her, gazing at her with large, indigo rabbit-eyes. It chirped and bounced around in his hands. She snatched it off him. She had to have it at any cost. "It's mine!"

He looked at her blankly. "But…"

Soifon gave her a quizzical look. "Are you sure that thing's safe?"

Yoruichi still had a troubled expression. "Maybe we should give it to Kisuke to examine first."

"No!" she snapped, holding it closer to her chest. "How can something this adorable be harmful?"

"Of course it's not harmful," his spirit said, patting the Chappy's head. "Rukia's desires created it after all."

Rukia smirked. His perverted spirit was finally useful for something. "See she agrees. End of discussion!"

Ichigo groaned and waved her and his spirit off. "Yeah just don't get yourself eaten by that thing."

"It's not a thing!" Rukia said, and her Chappy nodded along. "You agree?" Ears twitching, it twisted it's head at her and nodded again—intelligent. She nearly dropped it right there, but inwardly exploded with glee. This was the best thing that had happened in decades.

'Indeed,' Sode added.

Nodding in agreement, Rukia snuggled against her new Chappy. Everyone gave her deadpan looks.

Ichigo stood and tugged his spirit along. "Lets go on the roller-coaster again."

Soifon and Yoruichi followed, after they flashed Rukia a couple of smirks—meant to look down upon her, as if she was a child to them. Her eyes narrowed and she followed with her Chappy in hand. She glared into the back of their heads as Ichigo hit on Yoruichi again.

"It was just a tease, don't take it too seriously," Soifon said, glancing back at her.

"Hmph."

Ichigo looked back at her. "Hmm?"

"It's nothing, strawberry," she said, and flash stepped to the Chappy-coaster.

* * *

Ichigo waited at the edge of a forest, waiting for Yoruichi to give him the signal to teleport to her, waiting for the food to sate his aching hunger. He hadn't gotten a chance to eat all day after Soifon and Rukia woke him with a screaming butterfly—much like the old head captain. And then they insisted on tramping through miles of woods, instead of flash stepping, and just for their trap to play out. But he was somewhat glad for it, glad that they had gotten closer to him—somewhat. Overall, the date had been a good idea.

His stomach rumbled again, and a squirrel ran into a hole on an low branch. He mumbled. To his surprise, animals weren't afraid of his spiritual pressure anymore, and he could even talk to regular Soul Reapers without making them uncomfortable. Of course that had been all due to Yama's training. Perhaps he'd be able to visit Yuzu and Karin soon. He smiled at the thought—but balled a fist a second later. Toshiro was still dating Karin. And Tensa still just told him to not worry about it. They had been keeping things from him, everyone last one of his friends and even old goat chin. But he trusted them, trusted them with his life.

A pull on his consciousness tugged him from his thought. Yoruichi's voice rang in his head: 'We got the private room, you can come now.'

He smirked and closed his eyes, concentrating on the Hogyoku infused into his soul, then focused onto Yoruichi's tug. In a flash of white light, he appeared in a room with a small water feature and a few bonsai trees. A circular table filled with many types of food called out to him. Delicious steam and scent wafted to him in waves. He jumped into his seat and dug in. The girls giggled and laughed at him as they also ate, eloquently of course, unlike his own messy gobbles.

He didn't care, for he was finally getting something to eat. He could live off his seemingly infinite spirit energy reserves, but that didn't mean he was immune to hunger.

"That's not how a noble eats," Soifon said, picking a piece of fish with her chopsticks.

He grumbled, continuing to stuff his face with rice balls and egg rolls.

"She's right you know," Rukia said, taking a sip of tea. "You'd be an embarrassment if we were officially courting."

He looked up at up from his bowl of soup, not having heard that word in a long, long time. "Courting?" he asked, taking another bite of rice. "You mean like in old Japan?"

Yoruichi laughed as she also dug in—less gracefully than the other two but more than himself. "Yes Ichigo, just like in old Japan."

"If this got out, we'd be shamed for centuries to come," Soifon said, giving him a heavy look, a warning to not let their arrangement slip. Rukia grunted in agreement.

He swallowed, and dug into the food again. Thankfully they ordered many plates—way more than needed for four souls reapers.

"While I was waiting in the Forest, I was thinking—"

"Oh you were?" Rukia quipped, taking sips of her soup. "I thought you were pretending to be an Owl."

"I was thinking," he said again, voice hardening. "What my division should be about."

Soifon looked up from her Pasta. "And that would be?"

"I hope it's not an attempt to grow your secret group of women you plan to seduce," Yoruichi said, smirking.

"It better not be," Soifon and Rukia said together, and glared at him.

He sighed. The constant jabs had become three times worse with the two new additions to his regular company. He could handle Rukia by herself, but now they began working as a team. Why couldn't any of them be on his side? He grimaced and dug into his plate of Pasta.

They chuckled. "We're just teasing, please, go on about your plan," Yoruichi offered.

He swallowed his mouthful and tried again. "Well since the spiritual pressure at my division is really high, I was just thinking to make—"

Soifon's communicator beeped that frantic tune. She snatched it form her pocket within the first few beeps.

A frantic voice exploded from the small phone. "Third seat Hayato requesting immediate assistance at west Rukongai forty s—" The communicator dropped silent.

"Hayato?" Soifon said into the receiver end. "Hayato? What's going on?!" She shared a look with Yoruichi and nudged her head to the door.

Before Ichigo could say anything, Yoruichi smiled and waved him off. "It's probably just another Hollow disturbance," she said, leaving for the door. "I'll contact you again if we need your help, don't worry," she finished and left the room.

"Yeah… seeya too," he said, slowly eating again. District forty was quite a distance from what he was told of the Rukongai once. It would be several hours of flash stepping at their maximum speeds, and even then it would be filled with souls. They wouldn't be able to release their full power unless it was in the woody areas between districts or an emergency.

"Ichigo," Rukia said, looking into his eyes. "You're getting that look again. Stop worrying. Don't make me kick it into you."

He slurped the rest of his soup and wiped his mouth. "Yeah."

"Really, it's fine… they're both captain level," she said and started sipping her soup again. "Or are you just disappointed you won't get a chance with all of us at the same time."

"Wh-wha—"

"You've been looking and touching us like we're some kind of buffet all day you know?"

Grumbling, he scratched his head in defeat. "I might have been doing that…" he mumbled.

After half a minute of waiting for her to finish her soup, she spoke with her fake, sweet voice. "This is a private room, Ichigo."

He jolted straight, her point sinking in without need of further hint. Days of compressed lust released in an instant, throwing his body onto her's without thought.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Grey clouds and a raging blizzard loomed over the barren outskirts of Karakura town. Karin watched the whirlwinds of snow as she shovelled together another pile to use. That was her boyfriend's power of course since it had never snowed in Karakura town. Captain Hitsugaya, the little pre-teen captain with icy powers she was about to give up her life for. It had been one hell of a week but he eventually accepted it after she got everyone else involved—her plan worked perfectly. She rolled up balls of snow under the ice shelter he set up and added to her snowman.

"Looks kinda like you don't ya think?" she quipped and glanced back to him.

A tick popped up on his forehead. Cute as ever. She scooped up a snowball and flung it into his face just for good measure. Another tick popped up and he took a deep breath.

Karin smiled widely. "So are we gonna do this?" She asked and patted down the snowman into a recognisable form. With some orange paint, it's head would look just like Ichigo's—a chubby, round version of Ichigo. The Ichigo who was dead like Yuzu. The Ichigo who cut that mountain in the distance in half and caused that mile deep fissure as they said. She nearly laughed. The Soul Reapers didn't even bother try to hide it—the science and news agencies crowded the location for over a month.

Her boyfriend finally answered her question. "There's no going back." He said, without emotion.

She nearly groaned and kicked the snowman. They had this conversation over seventy times now—it was almost like a script from a bad Manga in Urahara's shop. "Oh really? I thought dying was only temporary."

"It's your life in the world of the living," he said, standing there with just his white coat and Shihakshou without a shiver. And apparently he didn't understand sarcasm well either, or at least ignored it. That'd have to be fixed. She rolled up a ball of snow and chucked it at him.

"Here without Ichigo or Yuzu. Goat-chin I can stand without though," she said with a smirk as the snow crumbled from his head.

He ignored the ice on his face as if it wasn't freezing. "They can visit and call."

Karin sighed. "And I can visit the world of the living if I want to see a panda." She chucked another snowball at him.

A smile spread on his pale face. "Cut that out!" He shook the ice off his head. "What about your world of the living aspirations?"

As if she ever had any of those. Nothing at school had ever interested her or appeared to be a potential career choice. Family had always came first. Every since her mom died, she had to be the grown up one thanks to her crazy old man. She would have been the one to protect Yuzu if Ichigo wasn't there, and now she had that power to do just that—if only she wasn't dead and there was someone left to protect.

"Like?" she finally said and threw another snowball at him. He dodged in a graceful sidestep and stared her down. Large teal eyes bore into her. She tensed for something difficult that she hadn't thought of yet or some complication that wouldn't make it possible. Her heart picked up and thumped twice.

"Becoming a doctor like captain Shiba?" he said, his white eyebrow rising.

That was all he had?

She deadpanned and chucked the snowman's head at him. "I can be a doctor in Soul Society," she said and crossed her arms to make it final. "Look, Toshiro, Ive made up my mind. I'm not going to let them watch me grow old and die. It's for the best." It was her decision to make, and her way too grown-up Toshiro nearly had a stroke when everyone approved of her plan—it was her choice and no one else's.

He grumbled and picked up a lump of snow. "Are you sure you're not doing this because you want to be with a certain captain?" He tossed the lump into her face. The sharp impact of packed ice stung like hell.

"Gah!" she spat out and wiped off her face. He stood there with a crooked smirk—obviously amused. "Throw another one and you'll regret it…" she trailed off darkly and cleaned out her hair. "And… Maybe…"

He sighed and took a seat on his ice chair, leaning on an elbow. "Karin— In soul society… There's someone I care about…" he began but perked up suddenly as her eyes narrowed at him. "Only like a sister!"

"Momo?" He had mentioned her at least once a day, and probably on thought about her even more. She'd have to keep a close eye on her to make sure nothing happens.

"Yes, and I haven't told you that… Because of how weak I was, she… she…" He couldn't finish with a breaking voice, then looked down.

Karin couldn't take the sight. He was one of the strongest people in her life and almost breaking down like Ichigo during the nine years after the funeral. Maybe that was a thing with ridiculously strong guys and people with tough acts—they just put it on to hide how soft they were inside. She picked up another ball of snow and threw it at him. Hard. "You've saved my life three times now," she said with a slightly raised voice. "Three times more than anyone else."

"Any captain could have. A lieutenant the first two times," he said, still not looking at her.

Looks like she had to get through his thick skull just like with Ichigo. "The thing is," she began, her voice playful. "And if I may be cheesy, It was you and no one else. That means something." She walked over to him and rustled his hair. And a punch to his incredibly hard arm for good measure.

His gazed stayed on the snow and icy mush.

What was she supposed to do? He thought he wasn't good enough for her apparently, and for very good reason—at least from his perspective. What did Rukia do when Ichigo was like that? She shrugged and put her entire spirit energy reserve into her leg. It would be worth a try. She spun around and kicked him in the side as hard as possible. Her bones vibrated from the impact but he was thrown off his throne of ice.

"What the hell was that for?!" he yelled from the snow and rubbed his side. She rose her brows a bit at his reaction. Somehow it actually hurt him, even if by the tiniest amount—probably just caught him off guard in his moping.

"Well. Just something I'm going to have to do if you ever do that again!" she said, balling a fist at her side. "Now are we going to do this?" She stared into his teal eyes for over a minute.

Three minutes. .

"Toshiro…" she said, getting tired of his stalling. "Thanks for this, I always wanted to play in the snow," she said as sweetly as she could. He blushed and gave her a small smile. How adorable, he'd be a real looker in— fifty or so years.

He sighed and stood up. Karin inwardly grinned with glee, the battle was finally won. He took out a red glove and forced his palm through her forehead.

Falling out of her own body was a strange sensation, almost like riding a roller-coaster but distressing to see her own body collapse into Toshiro's arms. He settled her body gently onto the snow, helped her soul up and picked up her rattling chain. She fingered the warm links a couple of times and tugged it against her chest.

"Karin Shiba Kurosaki… Are you willing to die for me?"

She blinked and almost slapped her palm to her forehead. That was one of the cheesiest things she ever heard. "You're not very good at this are you?"

His eye twitched. "What's that supposed to mean?! You are going to die here you know?!"

"Yeah yeah just get on with it."

He hesitated for a long minute, eyes softening with each passing second.

She pulled him into a quick kiss to speed things up. His lips were freezing. It was like kissing a frozen block of frozen skin when he released his limiter. The same limiter they gave Ichigo according to Urahara, and yet he was still was at the level of a captain. Unbelievable would be a simple way to put it. At least Toshiro could control his spiritual pressure and divert it around her, unlike Ichigo supposedly.

Eventually, Toshiro brought his blade to her chest and with a swift motion he slashed her chain of fate. As the steel made contact and the links of her chain shattered, a quake of spirit energy burst forth from her chest, rippling off in explosive pulses of Reishi. "Toshiro!" she breathed as her vision darkened and spirit energy burned her innards. Gasping, she reached out to him as she fell to the snow, but it was too late.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Of all places for Soifon's third seat's patrol to go missing, it had to be a tropical jungle, in the wilder areas between Rukongai districts forty-five and forty-six. She and Yoruichi had been questioning citizens in the fortieth district all morning, but only one person had any real information—an elderly man close to his final years before his turn in the reincarnation cycle would arrive. He hadn't given off any signs of having spirit energy, or so it appeared from his human levels of spiritual pressure.

Thorny twigs cracked under her foot, releasing a layered aroma of spice, acid, and fruit. It appealed to her tastes she had to admit, but the texture put her off in a way. Something about the scent tugged at a deep well within her soul that she couldn't quite identify. She'd have to spend some more time in Jinzen in the future.

"Ive never seen these plants before," she said, glancing back at Yoruichi, who fiddled and prodded the leaf of a spiky-branched tree.

"Do you think the old man lied?" Yoruichi asked, putting down the branch, then picking up a purple flower with a red bulb.

"His facial expressions seemed genuine, and he recognised me as a captain."

"Recognised you? I didn't know you were so famous."

"There was a very successful magazine covering the war, it was out just before you came back to Soul Society, so it's not that strange."

Yoruichi huffed and continued prodding the greenery with a stick of lightning.

Yet the situation was still strange. An entire patrol squad had disappeared in this jungle without any inhabitants, without leaving any trace of disturbance. And her third seat of all people. Hayato had been close to Omaeda's level, but that wasn't anything impressive either.

A pulse of yellow spiritual pressure washed over her from behind. "Careful," Yoruichi said, unleashing a few more pulses. "There's a lot of poison in here."

Soifon stuttered in her gait, and inwardly cursed for not bringing any antidote. "When did you learn that ability?"

"Kisuke taught it to me," she said, smiling.

Soifon's eyes narrowed at that name, but she ignored the rising contempt. "Do you know any curing Kido?" she asked, mentally revising her minimal knowledge of healing Kido, which was her greatest weakness as an assassin. She'd spend more time studying it, but they always had Unohana in the back lines, and Kortsuchi for poisons. Catching up to Yoruichi was simply more important.

"Not enough."

"It's that bad?" She eyed a red flower, and blasted it with a low level Kido. It fizzled into purple vapour, thicker than any gas based poison they had back at the second division, and lingered several times longer. She raised her spiritual pressure, blocking it from entering her breathing air.

Yourichi mumbled something under her breath. "Just don't get bitten, in the neck—by a snake or something," she said, and put up a purple aura, extending several meters into the vines. "This will alert us to anything dangerous that gets close."

"Right." Soifon took a breath and continued into the overgrowth, hacking away vines and branches with her Zanpukto. A three headed, green snake slithered away from a branch she severed.

She stepped away. "What the hell?"

A shot of lightning fried the snaked into a crispy char. Yoruichi's lightning of course.

"Its just a three headed snake… are you scared?"

"Of course not," Soifon lied, pretending she didn't hesitate. "But I'd rather not lose my arm again," she said without thinking. That was one little secret she'd prefer not be known by the Werecat standing next to her.

"Oh?" Yoruichi caught up to her, and poked her arm. "You lost your arm? When was this?"

She sighed, and stopped in a small clearing within the vines. "In the battle over fake Karakura," she said, gesturing to where her arm was amputated mid-battle. "The second Espada had an aging ability that could turn you to dust, I had to get my arm cut off before it spread."

"Before it spread?"

Soifon furrowed her brow. "It was kind of like a miasma."

"And if you touch it, it sticks to you?"

"Yeah."

"So…" Yoruichi said, softly, putting a hand on Soifon's arm. "You nearly died." She visibly swallowed.

Soifon nodded, without speaking, or her traitorous voice would slip something again, like how weak she's become compared to the other captains. Other than the elder captains, even Zaraki was more powerful. As well as Kuchiki and Hitsugaya—they'd finish her off within five minutes.

Yoruichi snapped her fingers. "I know that look Soifon."

Of course she did. It was an expression from their time together two centuries ago, as student and master, training every day and night.

She stood there for a minute, breathing lightly, and then looked up into her feline gold eyes, wondering what could be going on in that whimsical head. "Yoruichi… I just wish to be stronger."

She rose an eyebrow. "You could train with Ichigo and I," she said, nudging Soifon's arm. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping you out."

"How would that help? He's less skilled in Kido and Hakuda and barely keeps up with flash steps."

"I mean with your spirit energy," Yoruichi said, poking her chest. "Staying in that division full of low level Soul Reapers for a hundred years does nothing for you in that department."

Soifon grumbled, and looked to a tree behind her, covered in leaves with glowing veins. "It's my duty to command the stealth for and second division, after you…" she stopped herself, considering her words. "After that traitor forced you to go into exile."

Yoruichi chuckled once. "Well I'm here to help you now, aren't I?" she said, grinning again. "And if it's time that worries you, then just ask Ichigo to help speed up the process for you."

It took a few seconds for what Yoruichi was saying to become clear, and only a moment later for the suggestion to outrage her. "Using those powers goes completely against the Honor of a captain!" she said, scowling so much that the the crease of her forehead was visible to herself.

"Oh, lighten up, times are changing, it wouldn't make a difference in the end result," Yoruichi said and chuckled. "The captains were fine with Rukia, so they probably won't mind a small boost for yourself."

"It doesn't matter what the captains think, it goes against my—"

A blur of green and yellow cut through the gaps between the trees behind Yoruichi, and a pair of voices echoed into the clearing.

"SSSS THHSSSSSSSS SSSSS"

Soifon instantly straightened as Yoruichi spun around into a crouch. "Show yourself now!"

No reply, only more slithers against vines and luminescent leaves. Two distinct stenches wafted out of the trees. The first scent reminded her of the putrid smell of the scummiest Hollow, but the second appeared fragrant like a fruit tree. Almost, but still contained a tinge of sharpness that put Soifon on edge.

"Careful," Yoruichi breathed. "I can't feel any spiritual pressure." She lowered into an even lower crouch, raising her own spiritual pressure, crackling off her in sparks of lightning.

Soifon's heart hammered once.

She was right.

There was no spiritual pressure, and that only meant one of two things.

"Look out!" Soifon yelled, pushing Yoruichi out of the way of several sprays of green acid, which didn't trigger her Kido aura.

But it wasn't over, every branch and vine around them started slithering, as if sentient.

"We might have to call Ichigo," Yoruichi whispered, wordlessly activating her Shunko. White lightning erupted off her back and arms, lighting up the clearing and burning any foliage that strayed too close.

"Not yet," soifon whispered back, giving her a look. She was a captain of the court guard, and she'd fight before calling in their perverted boyfriend.

Yourichi smirked and nodded.

"SSSSSS THHSSSSS SSSSS" The one with the stench was getting closer.

"Shunko!" Soifon yelled, and released razor wind into the trees, disintegrating lines of trees and vines.

Yoruichi followed up with a wide arc of electricity, incinerating their surroundings in a blaze.

She glanced at Soifon, steel in her eyes. A order to follow—just like a hundred years ago. Master and student, captain and subordinate. It still hadn't changed, even after that traitor's meddling—just like the good old days again.

Soifon smiled, and followed Yoruichi into the air.

"Are you sure it's best to be out in open?" she yelled into the wind, flash stepping across footholds made from her spiritual pressure.

She nodded, picking up the pace, and within a second, she landed in the middle of a rocky field, on the outskirts of the jungle near a cliff.

Before Soifon could do the same, a green fountain of energy erupted fifty meters in front of her, cutting her off from Yoruichi, but to her relief, a dense spiritual pressure washed through the air as well.

She drew her Zanpukto, and tensed for one hell of a fight.

* * *

The private training grounds of Unohana were unlike anything Ichigo imagined. He'd expected large Koi ponds and pavilions, and maybe flowery meadows, but this was something else. A healer wouldn't need the location to be as far away from the Seireitei capital as possible. She wouldn't need Sekkiseki barriers lining entire damn training square either—an arena filled with rubble and hundreds of gashes.

And she definitely wouldn't have a disfiguring scar at the top of her chest.

Rukia shifted an inch as she stared down the four elder captains. "I am ready," she said, holding onto the sheath of her Zanpukto.

The old head captain half opened his eyes. "And what of you, captain Kurosaki?"

Would rather be off with Soifon and Yoruichi in the Rukongai mission, is what he'd say, but this is Rukia's captaincy test, and they personally asked him to be present. "Yeah, but why do I need to be here?" he asked, walking over to Rukia's side.

Yamamoto grunted his acknowledgment. "Rukia Kuchiki has passed the first half of the captain's examination," he said, banging his walking stick on the paving. "However, this is not the typical second part of the test."

"Head captain?" Rukia asked.

He opened his eyes all the way, and his wooden staff disintegrated off his sealed Zanpukto. "There are matters to discuss, but you have a choice. Would you like to give a demonstration of your skills first, or talk about upcoming events?" he asked with a barely visible smirk.

A few seconds passed before Rukia replied, in her trained Kuchiki voice. "Head captain, may I ask the level of importance for the discussion?"

"Importance is subjective to the agenda of person asking."

For once, Ichigo understood within a second. A comment like that wouldn't have even made sense just two weeks ago, but thanks to their morning training sessions, the round-about way of talking made sense—almost.

Rukia nodded, and drew her blade, at the same time as the head head captain.

Gracful footing against against ancient fortitude. Yamamoto held his katana without blinking, completed devoid of expression.

A stab of unease pierced Ichigo's chest as they began their release.

"Dance Sode—"

"Reduce all cr—"

Ichigo waved his arms comically and inched closer to her. "Are you sure it's best to put ice against fire? Maybe lets talk about the things first"

The captains gave him amused looks, ranging for small smirks to a goofy grin in Kyoraku's case. No pink Kimono like usual either—he only took it off when he had to fight, or spar.

Rukia growled and hit his side. "I can do this idiot!"

"Yeah but it's just he's—"

"Relax." Kyoraku chuckled, lifting his hat. "Something has come up, and this time its a real mess."

Rukia grumbled, punching his side again as Ichigo let out a breath, because Rukia simply didn't know how powerful the head captain was really. She didn't know he had the flames of the sun, hot enough to incinerate anything from existence.

Yamamoto grunted his agreement, while Unohana merely looked bored.

"So Jushiro, how do we begin?" Kyroraku asked him, offering a cup of Sake.

Ukitake blinked, and looked to Yamamoto, who simply stood there stroking his beard.

Ichigo broke the silence. "So did Aizen escape or what," he dared to joke—at his current level Aizen wouldn't even be a threat, nor would he ever lose his powers again in a final confrontation.

Ukitake smiled. "Aizen's still locked in Muken. He won't be getting out anytime soon."

"How come we're talking in secret? Shouldn't this concern central forty-six?" Rukia asked.

"No," the old head captain answered. "This information will be kept on a need to know basis," he said, and looked over to Kyoraku. "Shunsui, you're the best at making smalltalk."

He nodded and continued for the old man. "Did you know…" he said, pausing arbitrarily as Ichigo and Rukia leaned forward.

"Get on with it," Unohana said darkly, whacking him over the head with the hilt of her Zanpukto.

Ichigo nearly choked in surprise at the usually calm healer, who never even entered battle or drew her blade for any means, but apparently this was a different Unohana standing in front of them.

"This is my true self, from the origin 13 squad, Yachiru Unohana." Unohana said, fingering her blade. "Shunsui, please."

"Right," Kyoraku said, recovering from her blow, which was very painful if his cringe said anything. "Did you know the Soul King has the power to see the future?"

A minute of silence passed. Ichigo just stared at him, without breathing, without moving an inch.

Rukia recovered first. "So he knew about Aizen?"

"Perhaps, but they probably knew the outcome of the war, so they sat back as usual" Ukitake answered and gestured for Kyoraku to continue.

"And just last night, there's been a development up in the royal realm." He took another sip of Sake. "Until last night, everything was going according to plan, but apparently something happened that changed predicted events."

Ichigo couldn't help his piqued interest. "A plan?"

"That's all we know. That's all anyone knows, and it took the royal guard leader just to get this much information," Kyoraku said blankly. "If you ever meet it… You'll see what I'm talking about, but yesterday, something escaped it's sight apparently, for a while now, but it only just changed the course of events today."

"How can that be possible?" Rukia said, frowning. "I thought the Soul King has the power to hold every realm of existence together."

"That and foresight is all it's capable of," Yamamoto said, finality in his voice, before Ichigo could comment on that level of power.

"Roughly speaking, it started ever since you fused with the Hogyoku," Kyroaku began again, finishing his Sake. He pulled out a stamped envelope. "This materialized this morning—they're orders specifically for you you." He threw it over.

Ichigo caught the brown paper, nearly dropping it. A familiar spirit energy emanated from the parchment, similar to his own.

"Read it in private, that's part of the order. Do you understand everything I'm saying, Ichigo?"

The flamboyant captain's vague statements could have meant a number of things. "Yeah…" he just said, deciding to think on it later.

"That's good, just remember, to think everything through, it's part of the training, and theres one last thing…" He nudged Ukitake.

Ichigo was just about to fire his retort at the subtle jab, but Rukia spoke up to his surprise.

"Captain?" she interrupted, uncertainty flashing across her features. "With all due respect, why am I included in this meeting?" she asked as her Kuchiki mask further wavered.

Ichigo agreed with her point, but didn't dare say it aloud, or it might mean more days without sex.

"You two are the strongest apart from ourselves," Kyoraku answered with a wicked grin. "The next generation of us, so to speak."

Rukia's practiced mask completely faded. "Thank you captain, I understand."

They let the minute pass in silence, and Ichigo couldn't help peek at Rukia with a small smile. She hit his side again, playfully.

"There's one last thing, and I think it's better if Ukitake explained this,"

The white-haired captain hesitated for a second, and took a deep breath. "Just one thing," Ukitake said, raising a finger. "Rukia, you are aware that Soul Reapers used to be called balancers, correct?" He raised a white eyebrow.

"Yes captain," she answered, Kuchiki mask unwavering again. "It was taught in the academy, and they said we were renamed as Soul Reapers because it sounds better."

The elder captains all chuckled, and Ichigo adopted a quizzical expression.

"Yes, that's part of the reason, but the true reason is that everything in existence is based on balance of two sides of a scale," he explained, and took a breath. "That is why there is Hu—"

A tug on Ichigo mind pulled his attention away from the conversation.

"Tenteikura…" Ukitake said

'ICHIGO GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE NOW! HURRY!' Yoruichi's voice rang in his head.

He nearly fell over on the spot from the sudden volume burst, but his stomach twisted as panic took hold of his chest. "Yoruichi! What's happening?!" he yelled.

No response.

"YORUICHI! SOIFON!"

Nothing, not even a scream.

"Dammit!"

"Ichigo," Rukia began, but stopped when elder captains chuckled again.

"Tenteikura is a one sided communication," the old head captain finished for her, without any worry in his voice either—as if the situation was completely under control.

Didn't he understand people were in danger?

Ichigo inwardly cursed. He should have stayed with them.

"Well aren't you going to go?" Kyroaku asked, face blank. "Aren't you going to do that instant flash step thing you have?"

That was true, however… "They're in the forties district, it'll take a while to get a pull," he mumbled, then shook his head and turned to leave the arena. "I need to concentrate, you'll have to do the test without me."

He shared a look with Rukia, confidence coating her eyes, but a waver of her lips gave away her worry.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of her," Kyoraku said with that same wicked smile, "Yachiru is the best healer in Soul Society after all."

Ichigo nodded, and flash stepped out of the arena, landing on a treetop.

He sat into a meditative pose and searched for their familiar thread of existence.

* * *

The jungle below Soifon grew in a frenzied rage, as if alive, fed by the spirit energy of that shimmering, camouflaged Hollow—A humanoid insect with bladed arms and long, bug-like wings. The spiritual pressure was almost like that of a Hollow, though somehow different, as if more like a Soul Reaper, but less like that of an Arrancar.

It gathered it's spirit energy, and charged inside a volley of razor-sharp leaves.

Soifon diverted the greenery with a wave of wind, and parried with her Shikai stinger, barely blocking slashes to her chest.

"When is he going to get here?!" she yelled, peeking at Yoruichi for half a second.

The Werecat was fairing better, marginally, but at least kept up with her opponent—A similar Hollow that also camouflaged into it's surroundings, but released yellow spirit energy and consumed the growing foliage, seemingly empowering it's attacks.

"Don't know!" she replied, scowling harder than Soifon ever saw before. "It's already been twenty minutes since I cast the Kido!"

Soifon growled, temper flaring and blocking out any logic. She gathered her spirit energy, and dashed into a head-on strike using her stinger and wind Shunko.

"SSSSS HSSSSSSS." Leaves swirled around the Hollow in a sphere of spirit energy, forming a shield, blocking Soifon's assault in a stalemate.

"GRRRRRRRRAAA." Soifon pushed more of her energy reserves into the attack.

Within a second, the Hollow released a large pulse of spiritual pressure, pushing Soifon back several meters.

It wasn't done either—A cascade of leaves and a Cero-like wave of spirit energy followed up the pulse.

She whirled, scrambling to cover herself with a buffer of wind energy before it hit.

But it was too late; the front wave of spirit energy and leaves tore into her back before her buffer stopped the rest. She hissed, and flashed away from the Hollow towards the cliff-face.

Vines shot up from the jungle, tipped with light-green barbs.

"Shit!" she spat out, panicking. Her attack drained most of her reserves and she wasn't fast enough to evade it.

A shot of lightning disintegrated the incoming vines a meter before they hit.

Yoruichi flash stepped next Soifon, panting and applying pressure to her bleeding arm, burnt from a foul acid that also ate away most of her stealth uniform.

"Yoruichi! Your ar—"

"Save it," she said. "Do you have enough for your Bankai?"

"It's too slow for them."

"Damn." She smirked. "If only I had my Zanpukto with me."

"Why don't you carry it with you anymore?" Soifon asked, erecting a barrier of wind combined with Yoruichi's lightning, able to keep the insects back—just barely.

"That's a story for another time," she said, putting a hand on Soifon's arm. "It's quite funny actually."

The push against their barrier abruptly ceased as the Hollows hovered in the air, unmoving.

The spiritual pressure multiplied two-fold, and thickened to an immovable density.

"Get ready," Yoruichi whispered, narrowing her eyes. "This might be a some kind of release."

And just as she said that, the Hollows erupted with spirit energy, fusing into vortex of green and yellow, blocking out most of the jungle view.

Soifon's hearted pounded continuously, hammering her chest. Each thump brought dread of this being the last battle she'd live to fight in.

She smirked—at least she'd get a warrior's death.

"Something funny?" Yoruichi quipped, nudging her. "Hoping for Ichigo to show up in shining armor any second?"

She blushed. "I'm not that obsessed!"

"Right."

The vortex imploded, finally, and— nothing could be seen, except a single glimmer in the open air.

And there was no spiritual pressure.

Soifon gulped, preparing for the worst. They needed Ichigo right now.

A barely audible hiss echoed through the air, despite the raging electricity and wind of their shield. "Ssssssssssssss"

Within a split-second, their barrier split in two and Yoruichi collapsed as two deep slashes appeared on her torso. Heavy blood sprayed into the air.

"Yoruichi!" she yelled, and flashed after her just as the thing's blade grazed her arm.

She glanced back, and sighed a small breath of relief. It was taking it's time to finish them for whatever reason—most likely out of arrogance, or even thirst for battle like Zaraki. But thankfully, it wasn't fighting seriously or she'd be dead right this moment.

"Sssssssssssssss" it hissed as Soifon hopped away, praying for that pervert to show up.

She landed on the gravel with Yoruichi in her arms—already unconscious from either the pain or blood loss. Two deep cuts across her stomach, in a prefect X-shaped cross.

Soifon nearly cried, and would have, if she wasn't in battle at the moment. But it wasn't a battle anymore. The battle turned into a game of tag—is what Yoruichi would have said.

"Sssssssssss" It appeared behind her, without a sound.

This was it.

The final moments of her life—killed with lady Yoruichi in her arms. She'd have it no other way, but part of her still prayed for Ichigo to show up in that burst of white and purple light.

Ichigo. Pervert. Carrot-top.

What the hell was taking him so long?

A tear escaped her eye as the glimmer moved closer, as if taunting her with it's slow approach. She didn't even bother running, for Yoruichi's wound would would gush more blood in the effort. She'd die soon from the five inch deep gash. And Soifon would never leave her behind. Even in death.

She sobbed once.

And then it happened. A flash of white-purple light exploded ten meters away at the corner of her vision. She let out the biggest sigh in months, and sobbed into Yoruichi's dying body. Maybe he also had the power to heal her as well; he did heal Zaraki in that fight after all. She stopped sobbing as that small flicker of hope took hold.

The thing stopped inching closer, and the light faded, revealing the young captain in his sexy glory. His eyes darted straight to the thing, and then to Yoruichi. "Yoruichi! Soifon!" he roared and flash stepped to her side.

"Look out!" she said, but it was too late.

The glimmer in the air appeared next to her.

"Cero Oscurus," Ichigo said, and shot an incredible black Cero.

Her eyes widened. The beam blocked out her vision of the field. The Hollow pressure flattened her onto the ground. And the trail of destruction stretched on for miles into the dead space within the mountainous area between districts. Nothing of the cliff or nearby hills remained.

She swallowed. "Is it dead?"

He didn't reply, and only tightened his jaw as he examined Yoruichi's body. His eyes were soft, but contained a lustful glint, devouring her naked body.

Soifon deadpanned. This was not the time.

"Oi pervert! Is it dead?!" she asked again.

"No," he said, drawing his shorter blade and charging indigo spirit energy into the edge. "It will be back soon, I only threw it a few hundred miles away." He released the miasma onto Yoruichi, and her wounds began healing, very slowly. She stirred, but collapsed back into a sleep.

Soifon sighed again, hugging her closer.

"I'm going to have to release my Zanpukto," he said, his voice low and husky. "And I don't want to get too far away from you, so you might be crushed for a second before I reach my full power."

"Just do it!"

"Don't worry, it will be over in an instant." He flash stepped twenty meters in from of her and drew both blades, holding them by his sides, and began murmuring his release.

"Twisting fates and twisted hearts."

The words rang in her ears, as if each syllable contained unfathomable power. She inhaled as his spiritual pressure rose five-fold, and purple-white spirit energy flared from his form.

"Timeless light and destinies converge."

The pressure kept rising to levels she never felt before, and at this close distance, she couldn't even breath.

"Maddening blood and moon torn asunder."

For a few seconds, the pressure pinned Soifon's body into the ground, as if a giant hand had clamped down on the entire area. Every bone in her body shook. She glanced at him, and swallowed.

This was just like the day they nearly had to seal him. Liquid black flowed from his body in tendrils, spilling into the air and gravel like ink, only given form by his indigo spirit energy.

"Rippling darkness, drown and despair, Tensa Zangetsu!"

She nearly lost consciousness from the sharp increase of pressure, but it completely vanished. The darkness blotted out Everything in her as his spirit energy washed over her.

The inky darkness collapsed in on itself, back into Ichigo, revealing his new Shikai form.

In his hands he held a pair of matching blades, similar to that of his previous Bankai, but much more vicious. Each blade contained a narrow, hollowed-out section, and three serrated points on their back, tapering to a final, exaggerated tip.

Soifon blinked, almost unable to recognize him. The same liquid darkness draped over him in a smooth but flowing shihakshou that ended in a mess of tendrils at the blackened ground—the same color as his hair, which was longer by a few inches.

She smirked. "Is that really you, pervert?"

He didn't respond, and only stared down the glimmer thaw now hovered at the other side of the clearing. "Did Aizen create you?" he asked in a voice layered with an echo. "You look kind of similar to what he was as a butterfly, except you're like a wasp."

So he could see it.

"Ssssssssss"

"Can't talk, eh?" Ichigo said, raising his right blade into the air. "But that doesn't matter, because you hurt Yoruichi and Soifon, and you'll pay for it."

Soifon cringed at his ineloquent choice of words. "Just hurry up…" she mumbled as his black spirit energy burst into the sky again, blocking out every last patch of blue and white.

The glimmer disappeared, for an obvious first attack.

A world of darkness loomed over her. Then only one word rang in her mind, vibrating through her entire being.

"Mugetsu"

And the black plasma condensed into ground.

The earth shook from the blast, tearing deep fissures into the terrain and obliterating the forest along with the entire mountain range.


	24. Announcement

Hello all, thanks for reading and your interest in this fic.

Chapters 1-22 were edited. Mostly line edits, proofreading, and adding minor detail and dialogue to make the scenes flow better. There might still be errors/awkward sentences and paragraphs that I hadn't caught, but thats the way of editing. Can't catch em all.

There has been one plot change. And that's chapter 15, where Karin had her chain of fate severed. That plotline has been changed and moved to chapter 22. Basically, things don't go as planned (like it did before) and the scene now ends in a cliffhanger, bridging into the next arc of this story. The old chapter 22 is now chapter 23, while the old chapter 15 has a new Rukia scene, having some self-reflection in her inner world.

I decided to not add in the major lemons I skipped over. 1. I didn't feel like writing them. 2. I didn't feel like actually writing them added that much to the story. 3. They might be better if left to the imagination. I might reconsider this decision though.

Sorry for the long time it took for the editing, but life/work got in the way and I also had the flu for over a week. It was quite bad actually. Almost had to be hospitalised because of the fever.

Updates for this fic will be significantly slower from now on due to other projects I'm working on and waning interest for Bleach, but this it will be finished eventually, even if it takes years. But right now, chapters 1-23 marks the completion of the first arc of this story.

Next chapter will be out whenever its done (hopefully within a week or two)


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Rukia clenched the silk wrappings of her Zanpukto, hesitant to raise the cold blade, hesitant to speak ever since Yoruichi called for backup. Ichigo had left with that same determination in his face, always protecting. Always strong… when he doesn't fall into a rut at least. And truly, she shouldn't be so worried about him, but Soifon and Yoruichi was a different case. Rukia hadn't heard Yoruichi so panicked since… since ever.

"Rukia Kuchiki," the head captain said. "It is time to demonstrate the skills, and power, that captain Kuchiki had boasted about."

Taking a silent breath, Rukia rose her blade in stutters and prepared to shatter her inner snowflake. "I…" she whispered, glancing at her captain. He hadn't broken his blank, innocent mask once since Ichigo left.

Ukitake blinked, then flashed her a typical smirk. "Don't worry, I'm confident that they're fine. Ichigo just left the area moments earlier, if you felt it."

"But captain, what about Yoruichi and Soifon? What if Ichigo was—"

"Part of a captain's duty is to maintain resolve at all times," the head captain said, thumping his cane against the sekkiseki floor.

"They called for help nearly thirty minutes ago," she countered, unable to stop herself from arguing back. "They could be injured or…" she trailed off, not daring to finish the sentence.

Unohana's face dropped at that, though she steeled herself only a moment later. "Ichigo has the power to heal, if you remember. Though he hasn't mastered his ability, it should be enough to keep people alive long enough."

"Of course," Rukia admitted and grumbled under her breath. Truly, she just wanted to be by his side—just in case of course. That's how it was since it had begun over a year ago since the night they met, and how she'd have it now. Should she flash step away and damn the consequences? What would Byakuya think? Was duty so important over the lives of her friends? Rukia bit her lip and hardened her jaw.

The captains remained patient, examining her with eyes that bored into her mind, as if they could read her thoughts like Ichigo's spirit. "Be logical here," Kyoraku said, his voice monotone as ever. "There's no way you'd get to them in time. We're hours away from even the wealthy districts… even at our speeds."

The head captain and Ukitake nodded along. "Do you doubt Ichigo's power?" Kyoraku asked, looking at her from under his hat.

"N-No…" Rukia whispered, images of their journeys and battles flashing across her eyes. "Though he might do something stupid again…" Something stupid like hurting Soifon and Yoruichi by mistake with his immense power. "And I have to be there to kick him out of trouble," she nearly shouted.

Kyoraku chuckled and the head captain stroked his beard. Ukitake smirked and rose a finger. "There's only one way to learn—we can only guide him so much."

"That doesn't mean he has to go alone!" Rukia hissed, balling a fist at the impossible captains.

"His track record would prove he's most effective when alone," Unohana said.

"She has a point," Kyoraku added.

"We have to be there for them!" Rukia tried again. "Why are you all so complacent! Byakuya said the Hollow attacks have been getting worse and something might be happening again and this is just the start!"

Her outburst shattered the smirking masks of the captains, and even widened the eyes of Ukitake. Swallowing, she composed herself and inwardly cursed for her misstep. Hoping they won't reprimand her, she stared them down, locking eyes with the head captain.

Heart thumping, Rukia steadied her resolve and erected a dome of spiritual pressure to buffer against the head captain's rising heat. Now that she was strong enough to withstand Yamamoto, the texture of his old pressure became clear. The heat was hotter and deeper any flame she had ever felt—ancient and wise, yet tinged with a demonic stench that she couldn't quite identify.

"Calm down Rukia," Ukitake interjected, features stern. "You're letting your emotions get in the way of reason. We wouldn't get there in time even if we wanted to, and it would be the last straw for central forty-six would if we use the teleportation Kido. And do you really think Ichigo can't handle it?"

Balling her fist till her knuckles ached, Rukia broke eye contact and growled at the weathered ground. Sure, they made some good points, but that didn't cure her need to be by his side—by her friends and fighting for their lives… perhaps if she released her Zanpukto, she'd have the speed…

The head captain sighed, though he didn't release the downpour of heat. "In over a thousand years, there hasn't been a single Soul Reaper born stronger than I."

"So?" Rukia said, irritation curling into a tight itch inside her stomach. She had heard that line before whenever someone had foolishly challenged him.

"Until now," he said, voice rising.

"What? Ichigo is stronger than—"

"Don't act so blind. If I, the head captain of the thirteen court squad, isn't required of assistance by captain Kurosaki, then how would a mere lieutenant be of assistance?" He smirked, then looked towards the other captains.

Ukitake perked up. "That's right. Byakuya wasn't very descriptive of your abilities, and he could have been exaggerating your power to make the Kuchiki clan look better for all we know."

"He wouldn't do that," Rukia said, nearly offended by the accusation.

"Of course he wouldn't, but we wouldn't want anyone weak to get in Ichigo's way," Kyoraku added, also smirking. "And be killed accidentally, would we?"

Unohana nodded, appearing to also play along.

"So are you ready to prove yourself, lieutenant Kuchiki?" Yamamoto asked.

Rukia glared at the taunting captains, unable to untangle the charade. For some damned reason, the four captains wanted this test to go through so much. Even if it would risk the lives of their colleagues—their friends. Tradition and duty couldn't possibly be that important. Either they wanted a demonstration of her power that badly or… central forty-six had ordered something again. Though logically, Ukitake did have a point with her emotions—she grudgingly admitted to herself. His innocent eyes only held sincerity, lined with a hint of care like he had always showed her and the squad. But this wouldn't be the first time Soul Society and the court guard squads made a mistake… like with her execution several months ago.

'Stop,' Sode interrupted before the growing splotches of rage overwhelmed Rukia. 'You're not thinking straight… the Hollow influence is tainting your emotions.'

Rukia froze, realising what was happening. Sode had warned of this when she trained for her new Shikai release the other day, though Rukia hadn't expected the effects to be so severe.

'Just do what they say. Ichigo is fine,' Sode said.

'How do you know?'

'Do you really think he's in trouble?' Sode replied, a sliver of disdain in her voice.

With a long sigh, Rukia steadied herself, calming the simmering, Hollow emotions within. 'Fine.'

"Rukia?" Ukitake said, waving at her eye-level. "Are you alright? You've been blank for a few minutes now."

"I'm fine." She wasn't, but she could trust Sode at least. "Let's do this," she declared and flash stepped back to the center of the arena, leaving the captains to exchange looks among themselves. They could think whatever they wanted for all she cared—just a couple of hours to endure and then she'd be on her way to Ichigo.

As the captains murmured among themselves, Rukia took the chance to meditate, preparing for her dangerous release. 'You've got the seal on the Hollow half right?' she thought to Sode just in case.

'Of course, you still have much training ahead of you.'

"Are you sure you're alright, Rukia?" Ukitake asked again, taking a few steps forward. His eyes held genuine concern.

"As I said, I'm fine," Rukia said, keeping a leash on her tone and expression. "I'm ready for this part of the captaincy test!"

A tense moment passed before Ukitake nodded. "Alright then," he said, mood closer to his usual, cheerful self, but still held a tinge of concern. "Let's see what Byakuya was boasting about the other day." He took several steps forward.

Rukia resisted a shrug, unperturbed by the change of plans. Perhaps they had decided the spar would proceed better with her captain partaking. It wouldn't matter in the end either way. Just an hour or two, she repeated to herself. Maybe even less… Yoruichi had said Urahara passed in record time.

"Whenever you're ready," Ukitake said.

Pushing back any more worries, Rukia gathered her spirit energy and straightened her stance. "Brace yourselves," she breathed and raised her Zanpukto.

The expressions of the captains didn't change as she raised her spiritual pressure, preparing to shatter her inner snowflake—they really thought Byakuya was boasting and up-talking her new power. Or they were experts of acting.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki," she chanted, letting her frozen power burst from within her soul.

As ice encroached the captains and the temperature dropped unimaginably, Rukia let her full spiritual pressure engulf the arena. The effect was immediate between the four captains, especially Ukitake. He took a half-step back, tensing for a second before her pressure levelled out. She saw it all in enhanced, perfect detail. Surprise. Shock. Fear. Confusion.

She waited without a move, without a breath, watching the strands of her white hair flutter in the mist. Her release form would captivate herself for years to come—even more so right now, as days had passed since she last released, and she had yearned to every hour. The ecstasy of her new power was unlike anything else—not even her original three dances compared to this.

But this time it came at a cost, for her Hollow side amplified her emotions many fold. And now… every last corner of her soul screamed for her to rush off to help her friends. And Ichigo. Her Ichigo. "Well?" she asked, tilting her head.

Ukitake appeared more composed while the other captains had worn off the initial surprise entirely. "That's incredible," he choked out. "I can't feel a thing…" He looked to Kyoraku, who hinted a smirk and nod. Turning back to Rukia, he raised his palm without warning. "Hado 63: Raikoho," he chanted in under a second, firing a wide beam of lightning.

The spiritual pressure of the attack was minuscule, so Rukia blocked it with her palm, deflecting the lightning into the Sekkiseki walls of the arena.

Again, Ukitake moved without warning or change of expression. So unusual for him, but so typical of a captain—one of the elite and oldest captains.

Every move was clear to Rukia. Every step, every millisecond was discernible from the next. He had drawn his blade while in flash-step, and wordlessly released his Zanpukto—a dual blade like Ichigo's, but far less powerful.

Ukitake lifted his left blade for a frontal slash, apprehension leaking through the texture of his spiritual pressure.

Then at the last moment, his speed increased many-fold as he twisted his stance and struck with his right blade instead.

Pure instinct took over within a split-second of surprise. Rukia parried in an instant with force far too great for Ukitake's blade to match, cleanly slicing through the metal and slashing him across the torso, releasing an explosion of sharp ice.

"Jushiro!" Kyoraku yelled as Ukitake flew backwards, half-frozen, half-shredded from the blast.

"Retsu," Yamamoto said, voice hard.

Stunned, Rukia stuttered towards a dying Ukitake. "Cap-captain."

"Bankai, Minazuki," Unohana whispered, directing her spiritual pressure at… Ukitake of all people.

"What?" Rukia snapped as Unohana's blade dissolved into crimson liquid.

The deluge of her Bankai smothered Ukitake's body, sinking into his skin and blotching out his wounds. The shards of ice evaporated into mist, and Ukitake was healed in a second.

"Y-Your Bankai can—"

"Minazuki. She ends life, and she can save it even at the cliff of death," Unohana said, voice composed and calm. "Once that was not the case, but as my soul changed, so did my blade."

Kyoraku nodded, and dipped back beneath his hat.

Swallowing, Rukia only breathed as Ukitake dipped in and out of consciousness, careful not to let her ice get too close towards Ukitake. She couldn't seal her blade either, else the collapse of her spiritual pressure might hurt him further.

The minutes passed, till Yamamoto walked to her nonchalantly. "And what of your Bankai, Rukia Kuchiki?"

Jaw dropping an inch, she couldn't find the words to answer such an incredulous question. He was acting like nothing just happened-like she hadn't just nearly killed Ukitake. He couldn't be so careless. He had once said Ukitake and Kyoraku were like his own sons… but how could he be so unshaken?

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Kyoraku said, his voice sombre. "Why do you think we had Retsu come along?"

"So you were expecting—"

"Of course not, it was only a precaution in case you or anyone else got hurt. I'm surprised Jushiro pulled that bait and switch to be honest."

Rukia couldn't believe what she was hearing. They should all be blaming her—blaming her for almost killing her mentor and captain. "But captain Kyoraku, I—"

Kyoraku sighed. "You're in the middle of a captaincy test, remember? Are you going to answer Yama's question?"

"I-I'm—" Rukia sniffed. "Head captain! Sode no Shirayuki said my Banka—"

The sky darkened to a blackish-blue, casting a shadow over the arena before the vibrations began. For half a minute, the shaking grew to violent proportions, rattling her bones and loose pieces of sekkiseki. It was an earthquake like those written in the books of the living word, she realised, but those don't happen in the Soul Society…

Taking a last glance at Ukitake, Rukia dashed out of the arena. She'd face whatever reprimand they'd slap on her later. Ichigo was in trouble, and that mattered more than some dangerous, silly captaincy test.

* * *

Karin's innards burned as the cacophony of spirit energy swirled around her. She hadn't felt such pain since the day Yuzu died—when Ichigo's spirit energy flared and incinerated her body. Karin had been lucky, for she had stayed in the corner of the room along with Yoruichi and had only been singed. But this time, the searing pain was much worse.

And it wasn't just fire… it wasn't natural… A boiling, suffocating fabric wouldn't fully describe it. Nor would a vibration within a fourth dimension that she didn't have a name for. But it burned, and burned till she couldn't even feel her limbs and lower body anymore. The pain only grew, flaring through her heart. She gave in, and let herself burn till Toshiro would finally do something.

Perhaps he'd cool her off with his ice, or use one of those Kidos on her—right after he was done fighting those Hollows in the sky…

When did those Hollows come?

It must had been the spirit energy she was letting off, Karin concluded. Was this supposed to happen? It would explain Toshiro's hesitance, and why he had brought her all the way out to these outskirts instead of Urahara's shop. Though that made no sense at all, she realised a second later. Urahara's underground desert had spirit energy shields. She couldn't even think straight.

The flames shot up her spine, ripping through her skull. She hissed, coughing up blood, then realising it was purple miasma she had coughed up. Her eyes burned, tinting the valley in blue and purple.

"Toshiro…" Her voice came out as a weak, croaky whisper.

He didn't turn. He didn't even spare her one of his ice cubs—and he had many to spare.

"Dammit, why do you have to be so dumb right now," she whispered into the flames.

So she just lay still on the rock, for the fire had melted way the snow long ago. One moment she was in her own snowy wonderland, and then she was in a torturous, slow hell. And it was becoming slower every second. So slow that even Toshiro danced through the skies like a drifting, white kite.

As he sliced through oncoming Hollows, Karin began to get used to the fire, as if it had been part of herself her entire life. Part of her soul. Twisting her seared neck, her limbs came into view through the purple miasma and indigo flames. Charred to a crisp—just as Yuzu's soul had been.

Everything froze, as if her mind had taken enough of the sear and slowed time to a stop.

The world rippled like the surface of a pond, then faded to black.

'Karin…' a voice echoed in the nether. 'Kurosaki… Sister of the one who disrupted my power.'

The voice was unlike any other she had heard—if it could even be called a voice. It was a feeling, an emotion that resonated in her mind that she knew the meaning of. Foreign, primal, and woven into the fabric of the dimension she had felt when drawing Reishi as a Quincy.

"What? Who are you? Are you talking about Yuzu?" she whispered into the void. "This is a part of dying right?"

'I, the one who sees the future…'

"What? Some kind of riddle?" she said, chuckling in a wheeze.

'The sands of time must be chosen…'

"What?"

'Before all is lost, before my seal fails and four becomes one, before you lose one choice…'

"I'm hallucinating aren't I?" She shook her charred head and blocked out the being, though it persisted with a myriad of feelings. She couldn't ignore it, and the fire wouldn't unfreeze. Toshiro was still fighting probably, and she was in crazy land.

"Arrhhhhhh…" she cried, clawing the invisible ground. Her nails passed right through the nether, forming twirling eddies. "ARRHHHH" She couldn't even shed a tear, for her eyes had been burnt to a char.

'You must hurry, two must become one, fate of the fortunate, fate of the powerful'

"What the hell does that mean?!" Her throat cracked, leaking bits of burnt flesh into the void. "My fate?!"

Two still landscapes flooded her mind, side by side. A picture of her adult self to the left—she stood dressed in a Soul Reaper's outfit in a city reminiscent of ancient Japan. She appeared weak, fragile, and tired beyond else. She lingered far behind the group of captains… and Ichigo. He had two ebony blades drawn, about to charge into a spar with one of the brutish looking captains. And gods, his spiritual pressure was like the weight of the ocean.

But the picture on the right… it was a horrid sight. A lone figure stood on a cracked dome, looking up to a crescent moon, looking over an endless, grey dessert. It was a Hollow—the smallest Karin had ever seen, nearly human but still had a demonic, horned mask and a gaping hole in its chest. Though it's long black hair and sleek form suggested it was feminine, and in ways resembled… It was her.

Were these visions of her future?

'Fate of the fortunate, fate of the powerful,' the being repeated. 'One must choose.'

"Oh." She looked back and forward between the two for several second. "This is a dumb question. Of course I'd choose the left—"

In the group of captains stood an adult Yuzu.

"Right one!" she snapped. "There's no way Yuzu's becoming a Soul Reaper captain while I remain useless! I'm not going to be the only useless one!" she blurted as her body cracked from her outburst.

In a flash of light, she was back in the valley, watching Toshiro cut through the tide of Hollows, buzzing through the sky as a blur of white. Everything was back to normal speed—back to the way it was, and would always be in the left image according to that being.

The visage of the humanoid hollow flashed before her eyes. Her heart thumped. What did she just do?

As the fire died out, leaving her as a charred soul, she stood and gathered a breath to call out. She'd get Toshiro to Konso her like they had done to Yuzu, and she'd be fine if what Yuzu said was true. Maybe she didn't have to turn into that Hollow. They'd find her in the Rukongai, like they had found Yuzu, and they'd train her as a Soul Reaper. Perhaps the vision was a metaphor for what she'd become.

"Toshir—"

Her lips crumbled, along with the rest of her body, disintegrating into nothingness. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"TOSH—"

Yet again, it was too late. All she saw was Toshiro freezing another wave of Hollows before fading back into the nether once more.

* * *

The darkness finally began dissipating and the ground finally stopped shaking. Soifon didn't dare breath the air that was still laced with Ichigo's spirit energy. She didn't dare move or swallow, or avert her eyes from the Maelstrom swirling around Ichigo's form. Cold beads of sweat ran down her neck and back.

"Ichigo?" Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper, raw from the shrieks she let out just before. "Ichigo," she said again more sternly as the sky returned to a normal shade of blue, revealing the full extent of the fallout from Ichigo's attack.

Gasping, Soifon jerked backwards, pulling Yoruichi along with her. He couldn't be that powerful. He just couldn't. It had to be an illusion of the darkness, because the mountain range was no more. Only a jagged, mile-wide chasm stretched into the horizon, bottomless and void. It couldn't be possible.

"Why are you so surprised?" a different voice chirped.

For half a second, Soifon twisted her neck in confusion, then mentally slapped herself for not recognising the voice of her own Zanpukto spirit.

Suzumebachi giggled and buzzed around in her head. "Did you forget about the ocean and floating rocks that he created?"

Deadpanning, Soifon sighed and brushed her off. 'Right. I'm just a bit shaken, that's all.' A bit shaken was an understatement, and Suzumebachi knew that as well as her.

With the last of Ichigo's spirit energy dispersing, he looked over his shoulder to Soifon, still in his transformed state. His new looks were reminiscent to those of Kaien Shiba's with that black hair, but the similarities ended there, for those deep red eyes shot a needle of panic through Soifon's throat.

Unease. Panic. Fear. Scowling, Soifon swatted away the irrational thoughts and wiped her sweaty palms on her hakama. "So is it dead?" she asked, trying to keep her voice stern and composed.

"Yeah," he said and turned to face her. "Are you alright?"

Soifon stiffened, taken aback by his uncharacteristic tone—calm, controlled, powerful. "Just fine."

He disappeared and landed in front of Yoruichi with a buzz, kneeling down to examine her. Her wound still hadn't fully healed, still deep. It had stopped healing entirely.

"Ichigo, she's not he—"

He had a palm on the ground, breathing heavily as sweat dripped off his chin.

"Do you need a minute?" Soifon asked, careful to not touch his blades or inky spirit energy. Pieces of rock and gravel had disintegrated when he landed, and she doubted she'd be any different.

"Just a bit," he said, voice weak. "I didn't expect that attack to take so much."

"Hadn't you trained with it before?"

He smirked.

Soifon rose any eyebrow, tilting her head. "What?"

"It's what I used to finish off Aizen."

Flinching back, a small flare of alarm rose in her chest. "Urahara's report said the technique you used on him would have—"

"The Final Getsuga Tenshou doesn't exist anymore, according to Tensa Zangetsu at least." His breathing grew louder. "He said I should be able—"

The spirit energy that formed his black hair and Shihakshou shattered, leaving him in an outfit exactly like the Bankai he had during in the war against Aizen. Drifting through the air, the pieces of energy coalesced back into one of his blades, resealing into a Wakizashi. His other blade remained in its release state, sprouting a meter-long chain that whipped through the air once before dropping on the ground.

"Ichigo!" Soifon flashed over to him, supporting him on her arm.

He chuckled. "I think I overdid it." He reached for his still-released blade, closing his eyes. "I didn't want to take any chances. Aizen Kept evolving during our battle."

For half a second, his spiritual pressure dropped back down to Soifon's level of awareness before his blade and Shihakshou sealed back into their regular states. She coughed, not having expected the sudden collapse. His spirit energy levelled out, she sensed, but there was one major difference—his spiritual pressure was much, much weaker than before. He'd barely be able to challenge the elder captains.

"Better?" Soifon asked, trying to make her voice as gentle as possible. She didn't know how to approach the situation, for he had potentially just sacrificed a large chunk of his power to save her life. "Ichigo?" She nudged his ribs.

"Yeah," he whispered.

"Alright, just take five." Feeling awkward, Soifon steadied him on her arm and checked back on Yoruichi. "Yoruichi's still bleeding," she said absentmindedly, then instantly regretting it.

Ichigo jerked his head up to Yoruichi, eyes soft. "Pass my shorter blade," he said, reaching for it.

Hesitating, Soifon picked up his Wakizashi and mentally debated whether or not to let him heal her. At the current rate, Yoruichi would bleed out if backup didn't come within a few hours… and they were in the middle of the Rukongai wilderness, far from any Soul Reaper outposts. She just couldn't risk it, but it might be disastrous for Ichigo…

"Soifon," he said, voice struggling. "Give me my blade." He opened his hand.

She bit her lip and picked up his Wakizashi, then unsheathed it and settled the handle in his grip, helping him aim the tip at Yoruichi. After a few seconds, his indigo spirit energy flared and shot into Yoruichi's abdomen, instantly restarting the healing process.

"See, I'm fine," he said, flashing Soifon one of his rare smiles.

"Right." She returned the smile—as best as she could—then swallowed a lump of guilt, because his spiritual pressure shrunk even more just then. He'd be an easy match for any of the captains now. And it was all her fault for being so weak. She failed Yoruichi, and Ichigo, the war hero, paid the price.

Leaning closer, Ichigo's hand drifted towards her semi-exposed chest.

"Really?" she said, stopping herself from slapping his hand away.

"You and Yoruichi owe me," he whispered into her ear.

Resisting every urge to elbow the perverted fool, Soifon sighed and played along. He deserved this much at least, Soifon mentally repeated to herself. "Looking forward to it," she whispered back and pressed her body against his limp chest, nearly pushing him over. And truthfully, she did look forward to it.

He smiled again and pressed his lips on her neck, sending a shiver of pleasure down her body from the intimate touch. "When we get back to the Seireitei, let's find Rukia and…" he trailed off, collapsing into her support even more.

"Hmmm?" Soifon mumbled, then realised he had lost consciousness.

Swallowing more bubbles of guilt, she pulled him over to Yoruichi and lay him down next to her. "Dammit," she spat, balling a fist. "Utter disgrace," she cursed herself. She punched the gravel once and held out her hand for a hell butterfly, already preparing a verbal report of her failure.

* * *

 **A/N Well I'm back… long story short, I took a long break from writing. Wasn't feeling up to it due to the usual (life and stuff).**

 **Explanations (will probably be taken out during the next large edit like last time, also meaning there will be possible typos/errors in this. Sorry, that's the way I do things. Write a lot then edit properly after.)**

 **Karin—If you're confused about this chapter, then it might be because I changed her plotline back when I did large edit months ago. See chapter 22. The voice in the nether was the soul king (I might make this clearer in a future edit).**

 **Rukia—she's always been super emotional beneath her kuchiki mask. The Hollow influence of her new powers just brings it to the surface, and it's difficult to control. It's also why she asks Sode to seal her Hollow half of her Shikai or she might lose control of her powers.**

 **Ichigo—still has a lot of training to do to master his powers. His old bankai and FGT/Mugetsu form is his new Shikai (but a dual wield version) in this fic if you're forgetting. He'll be weakened for a while.**

 **22/07/2016 - Some proofreading/line-editing done.**


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

The cool spray of the river cooled Soifon's raging thoughts and body, washing away the fallout of the morning incident. The thing had pushed Soifon to her limits and beyond, yet she still ended up beaten and broken. All the bruises were visible now, dark and blotchy, marring the porcelain skin on her legs and torso. She'd have to visit the fourth division soon, and avoid exposing herself to Yoruichi or else receive another earful of teasing. Scooping up handfuls of crystal water, she washed out the remainder of her cuts, biting her lip when the cold sting registered.

Sauntering back to Ichigo and Yoruichi along the grassy banks, Soifon applied the little healing Kido she knew. It wasn't nearly enough, but her shallow wounds sealed at least. Again, she'd have to visit the fourth division for the deeper wounds. Or ask Ichigo to heal her when he wakes… whenever that would be. Hopefully, it wouldn't be another three months. She shook her head and knelt down, laying her hand on his muscled chest to feel out his spirit energy levels.

The pressure he radiated was almost half his usual maximum, though when she focused on his raw energy…

"What the hell?" she blurted. The spirit energy that swirled within his soul was like eddies in an infinite void, marked by the distinct textures of his faceted power. Soul Reaper. Hollow. The Hogyoku… And a fourth unknown, just as dense and concentrated as the other three energies.

A spark of intuition told Soifon it had something to do with that vein ability that saved Yuzu's life last week. Soifon stowed the information in a corner of her mind, and checked for Rukia's spiritual pressure again.

Nothing. No Soul Reapers in miles.

She had carried Ichigo and Yoruichi to the nearby spring and setup camp hours earlier. She couldn't carry both of them at the same time, and she hadn't leaned the Utility Kidos to carry them in bandage either. Ukitake's message had said Rukia was already on her way, but he was oddly nervous on the time estimate. She couldn't be that slow—she was the one of the stronger lieutenants. And that's not even counting how much Ichigo had empowered her.

A leaping salmon jumped into view, it's slimy body glinting in the noon sun. With a quick flick of her wrist, she picked up her Zanpukto and skewered the fish, then tossed it to the pack of gulls fifty meters down the river.

Still sharp as ever—if catching a fish was even a test of speed. She still had a long way to go, to catch up to Yoruichi… to catch up to Ichigo… who hadn't even been a Soul Reaper for more than a decade. She narrowed her eyes at the thought of how powerful he'd become in a century… but then again, they had said the Hogyoku draws out a Soul's potential. Perhaps this was his full potential.

Eyeing his Zanpuktos, Soifon hesitantly approached and picked up the pair, carefully unsheathing the dark blades. She shouldn't be wielding another Soul Reaper's Zanpukto, but that was nothing compared to all the times he had slept with her now. This was nothing in comparison—and she had been curious of how well his weapons handled.

She moved further down the field, then began stepping through her Katas for dual wielding that she had learnt a century ago, gaining speed after every manoeuvrer.

Cut. Parry. Twirl. Stab.

Every step barely made a noise, barely disturbed the blades of grass beneath her calloused feet. But it was there—the evidence of her sluggishness. Anyone of Yoruichi's calibre would notice hundreds of openings, and see every move she'd make. Her progress was quickly reaching a plateau—her limit. With Haduka at least. Soon she'd have to adopt to training with her oversized Bankai or cumbersome Kido.

In a spat of frustration, she mistimed her next double slash, cutting her forearm with the Wakizashi.

She hissed as the Katana flew out of her hand and clinked against a boulder. "Shit," she mouthed, fingering the fresh wound. It missed an artery by an inch and a half, but still deep enough that she wouldn't be able to heal it.

An immense spiritual pressure washed over her shoulders, tainted with a Hollow undertone. "What are you doing," a layered, flat voice cut through the riverbank.

In a single move as her heart thumped, Soifon dropped the Wakizashi, flashed over to her Zanpukto, and snatched it off the grass.

Before her stood a young male with shoulder-length white hair and skin almost as pale. He wore a sleek white robe, tightly fitting his sleek physique. But what stood the most was the Hollowfied eye, and Hollow mask fragment atop the left side of his head.

"Arrancar!" Soifon spat. "How did you get here?!"

He frowned. "You really aren't that bright," he said, his tone hinting disdain.

Soifon growled. "You're trespassing through Soul Society! Retreat to Hueco Mundo or I will be forced to execute you!" she commanded, reciting the order that Central forty-six had given at the end of the war.

He shifted his arm outward and opened his hand. In an instant, Ichigo's Katana flew into his grip, buffering soifon with a gust of wind. "I, am Tensa Zangetsu," he said, voice raised significantly.

Soifon blinked and dropped out of her battle-stance, mentally pinching herself for not recognising Ichigo's Hollow spiritual pressure. "I knew that!"

"Hmmm."

Breathing once, Soifon let her heart calm before speaking again, then discarded her rising embarrassment from being nude. Her stealth uniform was still drying on the branch, and she hated damp clothing more than anything else. And Tensa Zangetsu didn't even appear to care about her bruised body, despite being part of that pervert's soul.

"Where's your other half?" she asked, careful to not call her perverted. "And when will Ichigo get up?"

He eyed the Wakizashi, tilting his head. "They're sleeping."

"When will they wake—"

"You still haven't answered my question," he interrupted. "What do you think you were doing?"

A scowl tugged at Soifon's face, already starting to dislike this spirit. He would be the exact opposite of Ichigo's perverted spirit—perhaps that was the point. She'd need to be even more careful if that was the case, for this half-Hollow was more powerful than her, even when weakened.

"I was just practising some of my Katas that I haven't practice in a century," she answered coolly.

For over half a minute, his features morphed to a hard glare, and his spiritual pressure became deadly. "Is that so?"

She took a step back, muscles tensing. "Of course. Nothing else."

"Don't lie," he said, emphasising each syllable.

"I'm not l—"

He charged in a flash step so fast that Soifon could only see as a blur. Only a millisecond after raising her blade to block, she was met with the tremendous force of his strike. "Uughhh," she breathed, skidding back through the field.

He wasn't done, already twisting his stance for a follow-up.

She flashed back to the treeline, missing the blur of black steel by fractions of an inch. "What the hell's your problem?!"

"You neglect your own Zanpukto, and yet you dare touch this blade!" he snapped, charging again with a stab.

"What?!" she hissed, dodging after a quick parry that vibrated up her arm. "For over a hundred years I had strived to perfect Suzumebachi!" she said, parrying after every second word.

"Oh really?" He altered his stance and style, coming at her with slash techniques she hadn't seen before.

"Really." Charging her spirit energy into the edge of her blade, Soifon struck for a critical blow before his unusual repertoire broke through her defense.

He effortlessly deflected her slash. "And the Bankai that you refuse to accept?"

"What about my over-sized Bankai? An assassin has no need for such a weapon!" And she could have been certain that she hadn't ever mentioned or released her Bankai around Ichigo. Tensa Zangetsu stabbed again before she could further ponder.

"Is that why you are so envious of this blade?"

"I'm not envious."

As they clashed, black-red spirit energy burst forth from his blade.

"Shit!" Soifon tumbled into the trees in a clumsy flash step as the black moonfang tore into the sky. "Arrghh," she spat as the pain of the burn flicked up her back. It wasn't severe—he had clearly held back to her relief.

"Did you not know, that one's Bankai is ever evolving, along with their soul?" he said, already behind her.

"What?" she whispered, eyes widening and twisting around. "But the Bankai is the true and final form of the Zanpu—"

A red Cero charged in his fingertip before he fired, engulfing her in burning spirit energy.

She flew back into the field, denting into the soft ground as the Cero exploded. The Hollow energy tore into her body, igniting her insides. The pain wasn't the worst she had felt, but enough that she could pass out in minutes. Palming the soil for support, she spat blood, gagging from the iron and salt.

Tensa Zangetsu buzzed in front of her and picked up the Wakizashi, sauntering to within a meter of her.

"Why are you doing this?" she said, struggling to keep blood from flowing into her mouth. "Don't you know that Ichigo has a thing for me?"

"Are you at your limit?" he asked, but his knowing tone suggest he didn't even need to ask.

"Of course I am… I used everything on that Hollow earlier." Her vision blurred as a trickle of blood reached her eye.

He turned and strode to Ichigo's side—and then flicked his blade across his chest, drawing blood. The wound healed in seconds, bubbling with white goo.

"Have you gone insane?" Soifon said, voice breaking.

"You want power, yet you don't want it served to you on a plate," he said, walking back to her. "You want power, yet you avoid the path that would grant you it."

"So?" She couldn't deny it. It was obvious as a Hollow hiding in a city of Soul Reapers.

"I, Tensa Zangetsu, cannot allow that!" he roared. "For you are a burden to us. A burden that Ichigo only risks his life to protect."

"Tch, that pervert doesn't have to," she said under her breath, looking away as her wounds throbbed. "He was the one who started this."

"I don't care." He pointed the bloody Wakizashi at her as he started glowing in white-blue light.

"Wait! What are you—"

A dagger of indigo Reishi mixed with Ichigo's blood shot into her chest, piercing her heart. Before she could scream, a beam of light brighter than the sun blasted down on her, lasting for the longest seconds in her life. As the Reishi penetrated every thread of her soul, the accompanying energy and light wiped the wells of spirit energy in her chest with pure white. No—it was forging the center of her soul and binding it to whatever was in Ichigo's blood.

And then it was over.

Tensa Zangetsu hunched ever so slightly, breathing mouthfuls. He dematerialised in a swirl of spirit energy as she collapsed into the soil. She fought the enclosing darkness before losing consciousness.

The gentle hum of a vibrating fluid woke Soifon from her dreamless sleep, except it was not a fluid like the running river. It was the Reishi of the air, the Reishi of the trees, the grass, and the pebbles. It all radiated in an energy she didn't have a name for. It wasn't the spiritual pressure of her spirit energy reserves—which was somehow refilled. Nor was it the elemental power Hitsugaya or the head captain seeped into their surroundings. This was something else.

"Uhhhh…" she mumbled, rubbing her head. "Ichigo's going to pay to this."

Pulling herself up and dusting off the dried soil, she checked her wounds—which were all healed. She huffed, and eyed Ichigo's blades that sat on the exact position where Tensa Zangetsu had dematerialised.

So the light had also healed her.

Snatching up her Zanpukto, she flashed over to her now dried stealth uniform and shook it out. The fabric had been ripped in several places, leaving it to look more like the black rag Omaeda used to wipe his mouth. A frown spread across her brow as she pictured the state of squad two under his lead… Perhaps it would be best to return to the Seireitei as soon as possible, and then figure out what Tensa Zangetsu had done to her.

"Ichigo! Yoruichi! Awake yet?!" she barked over her shoulder and trudged through the shredded field to their still bodies. "Of course not." She looked to the sun, revealing that only a couple of hours had passed since she fought Tensa Zangetsu.

Beneath the sun in the far distance beyond her sight, a pulsating source of Reishi spewed energy like a volcano.

And it was approaching—fast.

Drawing her blade, Soifon concentrated her new and unusual spirit energy into her forearm. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!" she chanted, flaring her spiritual pressure.

Nothing happened. Her blade remained Unsealed.

"What the hell?! Suzumebachi!"

No reply—not even the typical buzz when she had ignored her.

"Dammit!" she swore, balling a fist. Whatever was in the distance was getting closer, and it didn't release any spiritual pressure either. Only that same vibration in the air that she interpreted as energy.

She raised her spiritual pressure to her limit, pushing the entirety of her energy reserves into the blade to forcibly release it. "Suzumebachi!"

Then the truly unexpected happened for the first time since Yoruichi appeared at Rukia's execution. Her blade discharged the same light that Tensa Zangetsu had used on her, then split into two and wrapped around her arms.

A blade of light-blue Reishi was secured to her left wrist in ornate, silver bindings, mirroring the matching gold blade on her right wrist. Her stinger was no more, replaced by these sleek daggers that Ichigo's spirit had granted her.

Holding them up to the light, she had to admit, they weren't half bad.

"I wonder…" she said to her blades absentmindedly as she checked on the approaching enemy. It looked to be far further than she thought, which only meant it was unimaginably powerful if it outshone all the Reishi within miles.

Pointing the gold dagger at a tree, she channelled her spirit energy into the pattern of her death strike. "Homonka!"

The butterfly marking appeared like always, allowing Soifon to sigh in relief. At least that much was still the same. She had trained every day and every night the past hundred years perfecting her Shikai, for that was a true weapon of an assassin. Not even Yoruichi could withstand a direct blow from her death strike.

She looked to her daggers, expecting Suzumebachi to chirp up like she always would when Soifon thought about her Shikai stinger. "Well? What do you think?"

But Suzumebachi still wouldn't say a thing, almost as if she was erased from her Soul. Though Soifon wouldn't miss her too much, for she had given her the worst Bankai in history of the court guard squads.

Pushing her spirit energy to next level, she prepared herself for her final release. "Banka—"

THUMP

The thing in the horizon closed the remainder of the distance instantaneously, crashing into the river and freezing the entire spring. Mist and frost plumed into the surrounding blanks as the Influx of Reishi overwhelmed Soifon's new sense.

"Gah!"

Soifon frowned, recognising the voice instantly. "Rukia?!"

The lieutenant appeared in front of her with a buzz. She wore a beautiful white dress, matching her misty white hair. "Soifon! What happ—" She blushed, looking up and down Soifon's body. "Why are you naked?"

Eye twitching, Soifon restrained herself from slapping her.

* * *

"Tensa," Ichigo said, trying to hide his concern. "Are you better?"

He had been watching over her hours now, sitting at the edge of a shallow pool in his inner world. She hadn't shown a sign of life since he had found her by the edge of the forest after waking. She only floated on the still water, sparking in indigo spirit energy every now and then.

"Tensa…" he said again, looking down. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I thought I was strong enough for that attack."

"Goodbye Ichigo… It was nice knowing you…"

Flinching straight, Ichigo's heart dropped. "WHAT?!"

"Just kidding," she whispered, hinting a smile, then lost all emotion again.

"One day…" Ichigo mumbled, sighing.

Though he felt better after exchanging those words—any words. She had changed his life, more than anyone else. Perhaps even more than Rukia, who had started this whole insane journey over a year ago on that terrible night. Rukia had saved his life and that of his family… more than what Tensa had done. Swallowing, Ichigo made a mental note to never say those thoughts aloud.

"I heard that," Tensa whispered.

Ichigo inched away from the pool. "So are you going to be okay?"

She didn't answer, relighting Ichigo's worry again. He couldn't help her in any way, and he had tried for hours. He had poured his spirit energy into her, but it was seemingly sucked into an infinite void.

And he didn't even know what the Hogyoku was made of. He hadn't questioned Urahara once.

"You don't want to know."

"Why?"

No answer.

Sighing, Ichigo sat back down next to her and thought back to the encounter with that thing that nearly killed Soifon—the Hollow wasp. But it wasn't just a Hollow, or a Soul Reaper, or anything he had fought against… except against Aizen when he had transformed into a horrific, tentacle being. Though he could be sure that it was part-Hollow, for its Hollow spirit energy had been greater than even his own.

He'd need to visit Hueco Mundo as soon as possible, he concluded. If his training with Yamamoto said anything, it was that route would be the most logical. Whatever that wasp was, it must have had come from the Hollow world and been planning to invade the Seireitei. Maybe it was behind all those attacks Byakuya had been complaining about as well.

Maybe Aizen knew something.

"It's time to leave," Ichigo's other spirit interrupted his thoughts. "Your friends are waiting."

"Rukia actually found us?"

"Yes."

"Huh…" Ichigo said, eyebrows rising. "I doubt I could have even waded through the Rukongai."

Tensa Zangetsu tilted his head, and buzzed off into the distant skyscrapers.

Grumbling, Ichigo cast his gaze on Tensa again, hesitant to leave her side. He hadn't seen her so weak before.

"I'll be fine in a few days," she mumbled.

"Right." Hardening his jaw, he struggled to settle into the meditative pose to exit his inner world.

"Or never," she said just before Ichigo was sucked out of his inner world.

* * *

 **A/N: A shorter chapter this time. I'm not that satisfied with Soifon's fight with Tensa Zangetsu, and the dialogue. It might be heavily edited to a be longer and maybe bit comedic depending on the reaction to this chapter.**

 **Explanations as usual…**

 **Soifon—yeah she's a** quincy **/soul reaper hybrid now, but she's not transcended because Ichigo was heavily weakened while she got the powerup (I guess Tensa Zangetsu isn't as smart as he thinks he is). She'd be just short of Ukitake's level atm without training further. And I'm pretty sure she hadn't ever met a Quincy before or felt their spirit energy in canon (if she did, then** lets **say this fic is going against canon).**

 **22/07/2016 – Some proofreading/line edits done.**


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

The trickling of a steam entered Ichigo's senses as he exited his inner world, mystifying him for a minute. A half-frozen spring and river slowly melted ten meters away, pouring mist into the grassy banks. Sparkling like a thousand tiny Kido-lights, the fields also melted in the evening sun, as if it had just snowed. Though Ichigo could have sworn it was still mid-spring in Soul Society—if Soul Society had seasons to begin with.

Rukia's low voice drifted from down the bank. "And now you know, why he protects."

"It's really not a burden to him?" Soifon's whisper pricked Ichigo's ear.

"No, you'll never be."

"So this is a gift…"

"Yes."

Why would Soifon think that? Ichigo groaned and shook out his stiff neck, then glanced at the pair. They sat at the edge of the river down the bank, appearing to be fine—no sad faces. Pulling himself up, he steadied his footing on the slippery grass and surveyed the area. Lines of trees and large blotches of greenery had been torn to shreds, hinting a recent battle. Traces of Soifon's spirit energy lingered… as well as his own.

As he turned to Soifon and Rukia, Yoruichi caught his attention with a loose wave. "Hey," she said. "Mr. War hero saves the day again." She strutted towards him, turning Rukia and Soifon's heads.

"Yeah, that was a pretty close one," Ichigo replied, offering an awkward smile. "What happened here while I was out?" He pointed to the wrecked field.

"I felt like doing some light training," Soifon said as she stood and walked over. "It'll regrow on its own."

"Hmph," Yoruichi grunted. "I didn't know you cared about plants so much."

Soifon stuttered in her gait. "I don't."

"Then why are you so concerned about it?"

"I was just pointing out a fact."

Swivelling his eyes back and forth between the two, Ichigo detected a charade—perhaps for his sake. His temper sparked in his chest, for he didn't need to be protected. He could handle the truth. "Hey, if there's something—"

Rukia silenced him with a glare, dark and menacing. "Are you just going to ignore me, idiot?"

"Well yeah, it's hard to not ignore a midg—"

Rukia narrowed her eyes and disappeared in a flash step that Ichigo could barely see. Before he could even see her move, she kicked him in the ribs harder than he thought possible, squeezing the air from his lungs.

"Gah!" Ichigo spat, pulling himself off the damp grass again. "What the hell, midget!"

"For being reckless! We felt it all the way in the arena." She huffed.

"It was that bad?" Ichigo mumbled, rubbing his side.

She nodded. "There was mass panic in the Seireitei when I passed by."

"Just take a look over there," Soifon said, pointing behind him.

Twirling, Ichigo took in the sight of a lush pine forest painted down a gentle slope. Gulls and faint traces of spirit energy hummed in patches, beacons of life. He frowned, unsure of what she gestured at—till the mountains entered his view… An unnatural chasm cut through the spine of the range, tearing the peaks into two lesser, uneven lines. At least a mile across and stretched into the horizon. It looked much, much worse from this distance.

He had done that.

"It's not that bad…" Ichigo mumbled, shrugging. "I can fix it."

"You caused an earthquake. It's much deeper than it looks." Rukia's eyes flickered to the right. "And I might have brought an early winter to Soul Society trying to get here."

"Early winter— wait, you came here with your Zanpukto released?" Ichigo asked, an assumption forming in the back of his mind. "No one got hurt right?"

"Do you think I'm that stupid?!" She punched his arm. "I know the Rukongai better than anyone in squad eleven. You're lucky your move didn't hit any towns."

"I knew no souls were in the way. I could feel it."

"You could feel it?" Yoruichi and Soifon asked together, their voices mixing in a jingle.

"That fissure is a few thousand miles long," Rukia added.

Tilting his head, Ichigo dug up his best explanation. He couldn't explain the sixth sense he had while in his release state. "It's kinda like…" He scratched his head, glancing back at the severed mountain range, trying to detect the ripple Souls made in an all-permeating, invisible fluid. But he couldn't—without releasing his Zanpukto. "I don't know."

"Right," Rukia said, deadpanning.

"Are you feeling alright?" Soifon asked, stepping closer. Her voice held a sliver of concern. "You used a lot of spirit energy back there before fainting."

Yoruichi nodded as Rukia reached up and lay her hand on his forehead, her slender fingers cool. "You don't seem to have a fever…"

Shooting a spark of yellow Kido at him, Yoruichi lightly tapped his neck and chest. "No poisons…"

"What could it be?" Rukia said, her voice overly sweet. "Surely the all-powerful Ichigo doesn't have some kind of unknown illness."

Ichigo slapped their hands away. "Stop that! I'm fine midget!"

"Well if you say so," she said without dropping the act. "I came all this way and it turns out you didn't even need me… hmph."

"Tch, well you didn't have to come. Everything's fine."

"Not everything."

Ichigo glanced at Yoruichi. "I healed you didn't I, and Soifon's fine."

"We mean you," Rukia said, voice back to normal. "I was worried… looks like I was right."

"What?" Ichigo said, titling his head. "I wasn't even wounded."

"Not wounded," she whispered, then hardened her jaw.

"So wh—"

Rukia's spiritual pressure inflated several-fold, ballooning into the field and pressed down on Ichigo's shoulders like an icy weight. He struggled to stand, to breath, as she held the pressure. In instinct, he fought back with his own pressure, buffering himself. For a few seconds, the two forces met at a deadlock.

"That's enough," Yoruichi said before Ichigo and Rukia reigned in their pressure.

"You've been weakened," Rukia said, looking up into his eyes.

"Significantly," Soifon said. "You're barely as strong as the old captains now."

"Oh." Taking two deep breaths, Ichigo squared his shoulders and masked his surprise as best as he could. "She'll be fine soon," he said, his voice hoarse.

"She?" Yoruichi asked, stepping closer to Rukia.

"Tensa…" He focused on his inner snowflake, checking his spirit energy reserves.

It was true—half of his power was gone.

"She's drained isn't she." Rukia said. "Soifon said you used your ultimate ability on whatever that thing was. If it was like that time with Aizen, you should recover over time thanks to the Hogyoku within your soul. Hopefully it won't be another three months. You're lucky you can use your spirit energy like that."

"Yeah," he said, looking away. "But I had no choice… It was just like with Aizen."

"Are you sure about that?" Yoruichi said, chuckling. "Are you sure you didn't just overreact because we got hurt?" She wagged an eyebrow.

"That would make sense," Rukia added, then nudged Soifon.

"Ah, yes," she said. "You're quite overprotective… but very perverted."

Brushing off Soifon's comment, Ichigo replayed the encounter with the wasp again, examining every detail. There wasn't much, but it was strong—stronger than most of the captains combined. And he was absolutely sure of that, he wanted to say, but he couldn't, for he hadn't even tried to engage that wasp in battle before finishing it off. He hadn't even clashed with its arm-blade to get a feel of its power, and its motives. "I don't know."

"Hmph, knew it," Yoruichi said. "You don't have to use your Bankai on anything that looks at us in the wrong way."

"That wasn't my Bankai."

For a moment, the girls gave him a look he couldn't read. Lips parted by half an inch, eyes blank and glossed over, but bulging ever so slightly. And he'd swear Yoruichi's skin paled. Was it fear? Even Soifon, who hadn't ever given him an expression like that, almost choked when he said that. "I could have sworn you said Bankai."

"I hadn't…" He rubbed his head. "It's a long release command. You probably misheard… To be honest, I'm not sure what my Bankai does anymore…" And that was the simple fact of it—he hadn't gotten a chance to activate it during training, and his spirits presenting new techniques for him to learn whenever he pushed the subject. He'd ask Tensa right now… but she was in no condition to talk.

"You could see it, couldn't you," Soifon stated. "Are you going to let us how what it looks like or just be vague?"

"You couldn't see it?" Ichigo said disbelievingly.

"No, not after it fused."

"There were two?"

"Ichigo," Yoruichi said. "Just answer. You'll get the details later."

He nodded, slightly taken aback by her serious tone. "It was a wasp, kind of like when Aizen transformed into a butterfly, but it didn't have a human head—like a Hollow I guess. Two Holes, blade-arms, and it was mostly white. It had Hollow spirit energy, but it wasn't all."

"Wasn't all?" Rukia asked.

"I don't know… It happened too fast."

Soifon growled, kicking the grass. She mumbled under her breath, too quick for Ichigo to catch.

"So…" he said, his mind straying as he noticed Soifon's ripped, revealing outfit. "Do you three want to—"

"No!" they snapped. "This is serious," Yoruichi said, hand on her hip. "A being that powerful randomly wandering in the Rukongai is going to create waves in central 46 and court guard. It's going to be a long time till we hear the end of this."

And just on cue, a Hell Butterfly fluttered down form the evening skies, spraying sparkling, black dust on Soifon's pale face. She held out a finger and played its message.

"All captains are to report to the first division tomorrow at dawn," Yamamoto's voice blasted from the insect before it flew away.

Soifon grumbled, snatching her Zanpukto off a boulder. "We better head off; it'll take all night to get back to the Seireitei."

"Unless Ichigo could teleport us there?" Rukia said, looking at him expectantly.

"I don't know how to move someone else other than myself…" he said, then thought to ask Tensa, who was still— "I don't know," he repeated, shaking his head to fight off the sadness.

"Right." She turned at took her blade as well, tying it to her hip.

"She'll be fine," Yoruichi said, rubbing his arm and also turned.

"I shouldn't have been so careless…" he whispered, looking down. The pools of water within the grass reflected his gaze, highlighting his longer hair. He still hadn't gotten used to his new look, though Rukia had complemented it once, right after he had met Tensa…

"Are you coming?" Soifon called.

Picking up his Zanpuktos, he tied the Katana to his hip, and held the Wakizashi as if it could break with a single drop. The short-sword represented Tensa, he had come to realise, and he hadn't done a thing to protect her—protect his power. He needed to do something… before something happened, and he had an incline that it was just beginning.

"Ichigo?" Rukia said.

Thinking over the plan he had laid out back in his inner world, he looked Rukia in the eyes and took a breath. "I'm going to check out Hueco Mundo." He offered her his Wakizashi, laying it on the boulder. "I don't need Yama or central forty-six's permission to go there, so take her, and if I need backup, I'll send a signal through her blade."

The girls spun around, mouths agape.

Taking the opportunity, he concentrated his Hollow energy into his fingers and swiped the air, willing the dimension to tear open and bridge into the Hollow world. A Garganta large enough for himself opened. He flash stepped through, closing the portal just as Rukia lunged forward.

Rukia tumbled through the field, missing the Garganta by meters as it snapped shut in a reverberating crack. She fumbled into the grass. "Idiot!" she yelled, pounding mud with a fist.

"Wow," Yoruichi said.

"He just said he shouldn't be careless!" Rukia snapped, pulling herself up. "There could be more of those wasps in there!"

Soifon and Yoruichi froze. And then it hit Rukia—that could really be the case. "Sode!" she called out loud. "Teach me how to open a Garganta now!"

'You are far from ready to attempt the use of your Hollow powers.'

"Can't you do it?! Ichigo might get himself killed!"

'I am sorry. I cannot if you cannot.'

No words left Rukia's throat as her insides sank. Bit by bit, her Hollow instinct and raging emotions grew and took over all sparks of reason. "Garganta!" she roared, flaring her spirit energy and swiping through the air.

Nothing. Not even a ripple in the dimension.

Ripping Sode out of her sheath, she took a ragged breath and shouted, voice breaking. "Dance, So—"

A bandage wrapped around hour mouth as Yoruichi put a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Rukia," she whispered, voice sweet. "It takes more than raw spirit energy to open a Garaganta, according to Kisuke. He and the twelfth division can open one if we get back to the Seireitei."

"Mmmmm," she fought the bandage. "Mphmmmm."

"Here, take this relaxing Kido!" Yoruichi chirped, release a white spray of spirit energy onto her. "Feeling better?"

Rukia shook her head, though her head was clearer—somehow.

"Listen," Yoruichi said, serious again. "The only way we can get to Hueco Mundo is with Mayuri or Kisuke's devices. Understand?"

Her words registered within the remnants of logic within Rukia. She swallowed, and nodded as the bandage slacked around her mouth. "Let's go then!" She sniffed, and prepared for her release again. "I'm much faster if I release."

"Wait, you're forgetting his Zanpukto," Soifon said, picking up Ichigo's blade. "Can he even release his Zanpukto with only half of it?"

Yoruichi whistled. "I doubt it. But maybe he's special in that way too."

"Tensa… Zangetsu," Soifon said. "Can you hear me?"

Only the trickle of the melting river made a sound.

Rukia's head dropped. For the first time since fighting the ninth Espada, she felt despair. The world darkened, and the ground heaved as her chest constricted around her frantic heart. And this time, it was much worse, for Ichigo was part of her now—part of her happiness. He had changed everything. And now he was being the classic, idiotic Ichigo who would charge into danger so recklessly.

Wiping her eyes, she watched the river melt till her heart calmed. "Maybe we should have had sex with him," she dared to joke. "Then he wouldn't have thought to do that."

"Probably," Yoruichi chirped. "Though we didn't know what he was thinking, did we?"

Rukia chuckled, fighting back tears. "Maybe that's why he didn't want our help… We didn't help him with his pervy needs…"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Soifon said, though she spoke again when her eyes flickered to Rukia. "But he was very serious when he mentioned us needing to request permission from the head captain. Central forty-six is already on edge."

"Don't read into it too much, you two," Yoruichi said. "Ichigo's just being Ichigo."

"Yeah," Rukia agreed, her voice husky from the shouting. "Let's hurry ba—"

A piece of paper glinted next to where Ichigo had laid—the order that Kyoraku had given him, Rukia remembered. Flash stepping, she picked it up, shaking off beads of water. The red, wax seal glowed with faint spirit energy, as if delivering a coded message. The old paper sat in her hand, heavier than she had thought and radiated a tinge of darkness.

"What's that?" Soifon asked, walking over with Yoruichi.

"An order from the Royal Guard. Ichigo must have dropped it." She broke the seal and unfolded the letter, interpreting the glow as a signal for her to open it. Though really, she was more curious at what the order was. She'd face the consequences later—just like she'd face the consequence for abandoning the captaincy test.

'A very bubbly, but dangerous foe may soon come to the Seireitei and Soul Society. Don't leave the Seireitei. DON'T LEAVE THE SEIREITEI.

-Ichibei Hyosube'

"What the hell?" she blurted, rereading the message twice more.

"What does it say?" Yoruichi asked, looking over Rukia's shoulder. "It's just random, black squiggles." She snatched the parchment and handed it to Soifon, who grunted an agreement only a second after laying eyes on it.

"You two can't…" Rukia trailed off, snatching back the letter then reading it again.

And indeed, the order warned of a bubbly foe.

"What is it?" Soifon asked.

"Nothing," Rukia lied, suppressing any Hollow urges of alarm. For some reason, the Royal Guard didn't want anyone else being in the know, so Rukia played along—for now at least. Perhaps she'd tell Ukitake just in case. "Maybe only Ichigo can read it. Let's go," she declared and unsheathed her blade again.

Yoruichi and Soifon nodded and disappeared in matching flash steps.

Before releasing her blade, she read the order yet again, worried for what it warned—a foe that required Ichigo's power to defend against. There couldn't possibly be something that powerful lurking in Hueco Mundo or even Hell, but this wasp that just popped up said different… And the tweflth division hadn't even reported a Garganta opening here, according to Soifon.

'DON'T LEAVE THE SEIREITEI,' she read, glancing at the message again.

Sode pulled a memory from her mind, playing it before Rukia's eyes, then retreated back into her inner world.

'Did you know the Soul King has the power to see the future?' Kyoraku had said.

Which only meant…

Rukia swallowed, clamping down on her emotions. They'd need to get in touch with Ichigo as soon as possible.

* * *

Dawn had quickly come for Soifon after she arrived at the Seireitei. She had been flash stepping alongside Yoruichi—whom she could easily keep up with now—for all night, careful to not disturb any Rukongai residents. Several detours through jungles and desserts had to be taken like usual, only made worse by Rukia's trail of ice. The lieutenant had overtaken her within seconds, zipping through the skies like a white comet.

That's what Ichigo's spirits had done to her, as Rukia had recounted. And what Tensa Zangetsu had done to Soifon as well… although to a much lesser extent. Undecided on how she felt about her own transformation, Soifon shoved away her wavering thoughts and relaxed into her stance. She had been running on spirit energy reserves for over two days now, sleep deprived and irate from Yoruichi's endless quips. Ichigo this. Ichigo that all night long. At least Soifon had enjoyed a long, steamy bath and a change of clothing—all thanks to the captains' meeting being delayed by a few hours.

Her mind occasionally strayed to Ichigo's quest as she waited in-line within the first division meeting room. He hadn't called for backup yet, or tried to make contact in any way through his blade that she carried now. It wasn't surprising. Hueco Mundo was an endless desert atop an endless forest, sparsely populated by packs of Hollows. He'd be searching for weeks for anomalies, even at his speed.

"This meeting has been called to order!" Yamamoto announced, striking the floorboards with his cane and looking over the gathering of captains. "A new captain has been selected. Although young, the strength of this candidate was undeniable, one of the most powerful in many centuries. We have found no shortcomings."

Soifon staggered on floorboard, almost loosing balance. What the hell had happened in the morning?

"The most powerful in centuries?" Zaraki asked, grinning. "I somehow doubt that. If there was such a person, I'd have fought him years ago."

Kyoraku chuckled. "You'd be surprised."

"Yeah, I'm itchin' to fight this mystery person."

"You'll see…"

Soifon adverted her gaze and looked to the relaxing Bonsai tree. Too much Zaraki and she'd have an aneurysm. He had stopped challenging her to a fight a while back, and it was only after months of stalemate duels that he had gotten bored. "So who is it?" she asked, her irritation rising. "With all due respect, I highly doubt someone of such calibre could have escaped the notice of the stealth force, head captain."

"She should be here any moment," Ukitake said, smiling as Yamamoto nodded.

So it was a woman. Soifon smirked, already anticipating a productive relationship with this new captain. They didn't need more half-brained brutes leading the court guard squads.

A patter of steps vibrated through the hall before—

"Rukia?!" Soifon blurted, stepping out of the line before Koyraku gently pulled her back, a hand on her shoulder.

"Captain Rukia Kuchiki," Yamamoto announced. "The new captain of squad five. Take your place. There is much to discuss."

"Yes head captain!" Rukia said and walked to the end of the opposite line, flashing Soifon a look saying she'll tell her about it later.

"Kuchiki?" Zaraki said, scratching his head. "Is this some kind of a joke?"

"I assure you, it is not," Byakuya said.

"Fascinating…" Mayrui mumbled. "Just fascinating…"

"You and me, one on one after the meeting," Zaraki offered, flashing his maniac grin. "Most powerful in centuries—I somehow doubt it."

"Shut it Kenpachi!" Rukia barked, only further goading the brute.

Mentally slapping herself, Soifon tuned out the bicker and wondered how she hadn't guessed. Perhaps it was her stupor, or perhaps she didn't see Rukia as an authority figure, but it was more than obvious—Rukia had become stronger than most of the captains, all thanks to that overprotective pervert. Though it raised one, pivotal question: why wasn't Rukia in Hueco Mundo right now to assist Ichigo?

"Silence!" Yamamoto declared and struck the floorboards. "Captain Soifon, present your report of yesterday's events."

Soifon sighed and cleared her throat before reciting her journey and ultimate failure. She began with third seat Hayato's distress call, followed by her trek into the Wilderness of south Rukongai forty-five, then leading to her battle with the insect Hollows. The captains interrupted every now and then, asking for minor details of her investigation, but nothing endangered her perverted secret. When her throat began to dry, she had described the battle and nature-bending powers of the Hollows as she would in a formal, written report.

And then came for her recount of after it had fused, nearly killing her and Yoruichi. Her chest clenched as she swallowed. "Yoruichi and I would have died, but Ichigo arrived with his teleportation ability and defeated the thing in a single attack after releasing his Zanpukto. That's what caused the earthquake. He then healed Yoruichi and collapsed from the drain. I took him and Yoruichi to a spring, and when he woke up just after Rukia found us, he opened a Garganta to investigate Hueco Mundo."

"He didn't request reinforcements?" Komamura asked, his voice husky as usual.

"No."

"You said he was drained," Byakuya said. "What did you mean by that?"

"I'm not sure," Soifon answered, her voice hesitant. "He lost half of his internal spirit energy, and is recovering at an extremely slow rate."

"I see."

Koryaku looked up from the shade of his hat. "And he just left in that state?"

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

"He didn't need permission to venture to Hueco Mundo like us, and that he'll send a signal through his Zanpukto if he needs backup." She pulled out his ebony blade from within her captains' coat.

All heads darted to her hands, speechless for several seconds. Rukia looked like she had forgotten about the blade yet again.

"That's!" Mayuri exploded. "That's the Tensa Zangetsu! Do you even know what you're holding in your hands right now?!"

Soifon leaned away from the madman. "Half of Ichigo's sealed Zanpukto?"

"IT IS THE SCIENTIFIC MIRACLE OF THE MILLENNIUM!" His eyes bulged as he flailed his hands after every syllable. "IT IS THE PERFECT UNISON OF HOLLOW AND SOUL REAPER POWER, COMBINED WITH THE HOGYOKU!"

"So? Didn't you know that already?" Soifon said, stashing the blade back into her coat.

"For him to just give it to you!" he seethed, veins visible even through his makeup. "I Would kill to get my hands on such an object!"

A blast of icy spiritual pressure tore through the room before Soifon could retort. "Back off creep!" Rukia snapped, shutting up Mayuri in an instant.

"That's enough," Yamamoto said.

The old captains chuckled as Rukia released the multi-tonne pressure. Soifon let out a breath, wading her hand through to air to look for an invisible seat. Her shoulders slumped as she sucked it up. She'd get through this meeting even if she ends up standing asleep.

"Could this be related to the Hollow attacks, captain Kurotsuchi?" Yamamoto asked.

"It's impossible to tell without any samples." He looked to Soifon.

Silently groaning, Soifon swallowed saliva to moisten her throat. "There was nothing left. He bisected an entire mountain range and more. It's a jagged fissure now."

"Wait what?!" Ukitake said. "That's where you battled?! By the mountains and springs of South Rukongai forty-five?"

The room looked to Ukitake, everyone perplexed. "Yeah, why?" Soifon said.

"There's several thousand souls living there in wooden villages," he said as his face paled to whiter whites. "I was there last month."

"Yoruichi and I saw no such thing," she said, tilting her head. "Right, Rukia?"

"Yeah," Rukia said, "It was forests and springs for miles."

"What?" Ukitake whispered, and looked to Yamamoto.

The room deadened, and only Yamamoto made a move, stroking his beard. "Interesting… For now…" he trailed off, considering each of the captains as he spoke. "Captains Komamura, Byakuya Kuchiki, Hitsugaya, Kenpachi, Kurotsuchi, temporary captain Shiba, and Soi—" He paused as his old eyes lingered on Soifon, firing pulses of alarm up her chest. "Just those five, and every lieutenant is to take every battalion and scour the entire Rukongai for any further threats."

Soifon's jaw dropped. Did she hear that right?

"Head captain!" Hitsugaya said, his voice hesitant. "Didn't you hear captain Soifon's report?"

"I did."

"Tch, any bug that gets in my way will be squashed like that fifth Espada," Zaraki sneered.

"I must speak up," Byakuya said. "To add to Hitsugaya's point, splitting the military like this doesn't seem wise, especially after that incident a hundred years ago."

"We know what we're doing this time," Kyoraku answered. "Isn't that that right, Rukia?"

Soifon spun her head back down the lines, whiplashing a neck-muscle as she barely kept up with the conversation.

"Ahh, Rukia?" Koryaku said, waving at a blank Rukia, seemingly unable to take her eyes off Hitsugaya.

She blinked. "Err, yes captain!"

"Right," kyoraku said and chuckled.

Sparking in alarm, two wires in Soifon's head connected as she contemplated Rukia's newfound interest in the boy-captain. Hitsugaya was back in the Seireitei, and the head captain had ordered Shiba in on the search. She opened her mouth, but Yamamoto silenced her with a look and struck the floor. "You have your orders. Dismissed!"

The selected captains left in flash steps, and Soifon dragged herself to Rukia for some answers.

* * *

 **A/N this is actually the second version of this chapter. Originally, Ichigo's scene with the girls was much more dramatic, with** soifon **being upset over the fight and what Tensa Zangetsu said. Ichigo had to talk to her and explain why she wasn't a burden, and why he protects, etc. I decided it strayed too far from the overall tone of the fic (it's pretty crack and** light hearted **). I moved most of that exchange to be with Rukia instead, offscreen while Ichigo was still asleep.**

 **Explanations (some spoilers):**

 **Ichigo—he's done some pretty dumb stuff before. At least he tried to be more logical this time and thinking things out, even if his plan was quite dumb. But his journey to Hueco Mundo will be crucial to the plot and character development for a few people.**

 **The foe—It's tied into the Hollow attacks, the wasp thing, and the overall plot of this fic. However, I did take some inspiration from a different manga/anime for the design of this enemy. It's a very famous antagonist, as a hint.**


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Tia Harribel, Queen of Hueco Mundo and the remaining Arrancar, sat on her stone throne in the ruins of Las Noches and looked up to the moon, losing herself within the drifting rays of light. Though she had stared into moon for many nights for over a century, tonight had an effect she hadn't felt since her time as a Vasto Lorde. She was yet again alone with her pack in these vast deserts. She had lost her many companions. And they had sacrificed everything for Aizen, ending themselves in bloodshed and gore. All for nothing.

She swirled her vanilla tea and breathed in the aroma till her airways were filled with the sweet scent. Aizen had served this tea during every Espada meeting, encouraging all to drink and relax and enjoy the company. She had brushed him off at first, for she didn't need the company of male brutes, but oh she had been so wrong. And so surprised when she first stepped into the blazing lights of Las Noches a year ago, stunned by the blue skies and bright colours cast by the fake sun.

There was Ulquiorra. He'd been the most different from the other males and Arrancar—even herself. But so, so empty and void of anything except his peculiar curiousness. He had conversed with Tia on the odd occasion, asking the dullest question. What's it like being a shark, he had asked when Aizen introduced her to the Espada. And she had blanked, then quipped a response out of instinct—we eat prey, including bats that flutter too close to our jaws. He hadn't even smirked, or threw a comeback of any sort… or even appear to understand she had spoken in jest.

And Starrk. He had been… the most human like, if she knew what that meant. Carefree, calm, loyal, and yet powerful beyond belief, contrasted by his lazy-as-hell attitude, sleeping through every sparring session Aizen had arranged to train the Arrancar. Many had doubted his power after he Aizen recruited him, including Tia. But after the day Aizen ordered a demonstration… Everyone had backed off, showing Starrk so much respect that even she had grown to admire him. The others had slunk off into the shadows whenever he woke and wandered the halls, but she kept her head high and squared her shoulders when she approached him. He wasn't as scary as anyone had thought—quite the opposite.

And now he was dead along with his other half, Lilynette—another female killed in battle. Another female Tia couldn't protect. Another meaningless sacrifice.

Bristling, she gritted her teeth as her grip tightened around the marble cup. She should have saved him and Lilynnette… She shouldn't have counted on Aizen. She shouldn't have trusted him. She shouldn't have toyed with the kid-captain and let her guard down when Aizen turned on her.

Even now, months after that battle, the sting of Aizen's blade still felt fresh across her stomach whenever she thought back to the critical moment she had underestimated his illusion. Painful beyond belief. She hadn't been wounded so badly in centuries—not once since had reached the height of Hollow evolution.

When she had awoken in the ruins of that city, she vowed vengeance on Aizen and the two Soul Reapers who followed him. She vowed to admonish herself from her failure, from how she had let down her companions and their sacrifice. Her rage had boiled the seas within her depths when she had charged back into the skies of that fake city.

But that Human girl whom had been captured by Ulquiorra called out from a rooftop, revealing Aizen had been defeated and she had healed Tia.

Just like that, her vow also became meaningless.

Her Pesquisa tingled gently, signalling the approach of an ally.

"We're almost out of tea, mistress," Sung-sun said and walked to her side from the adjoining hallway. "The caches of supplies Aizen left behind are almost empty."

"Hmph." Tia settled her cup on the marble table.

Leaning forward, Sung-sun peeked under Tia's golden bangs of hair. "Is something wrong?"

"I'll miss drinking it," she said and stood, then walked to the balcony overlooking to the deserts.

Sung-sun trailed behind, her steps not making a sound like the other remaining Arrancar. "But how do you really feel, mistress?" She giggled, muffled by her long sleeve.

The pale sands remained still as always, like a frozen ocean made of grey waters. She had wandered deserts for over many centuries before evolving, cutting down every foe, every male that dared challenge her. And they had been crafty—burying in the sand, casting illusions with their natural Hollow power, and ambushing her in gangs. She cut them to pieces and drank their fading essence. Every single one of them.

Sung-sun nudged her arm. "Hmmm?"

"Perhaps we should raid the Soul Society for some."

"You'd really do that for some tea?" she said, blinking.

"No."

"Then?" She tilted her head, the colours of her face-markings shifting in the moonlight. "Hold the next Soul Reaper that comes here as Hostage to exchange for a crate?" she said slyly.

Tia huffed. "Don't be ridiculous." She liked vanilla tea a lot, more than than she should, but she wouldn't do something so stupid over a luxury. She was a Hollow after all—not a human… She hadn't been one for several centuries.

Yet she felt closer to being a Human than ever before… ever since becoming an Arrancar.

Sung-sun waved her sleeve covered hand in her face.

"What is it?" Tia said, gently slapping her fragile hand away.

"Have you heard of the news?"

So that's why Sung-sun felt chatty today.

Tia sighed. "Did another pack of Hollows go insane? Was another blood-lusted Adjucha born?"

"Yes to the first…" she trailed off, looking into the desert for a moment. "But… that's not it. Some of the still-sane Adjuchas interrogated a few of the crazy ones who made it back alive recently…" She poked her tongue into her cheek.

"Yes?" Tia couldn't help her interest… she had become fed up over the boredom these months.

"They say they felt an incredible burst of spirit energy in the Seireitei."

Tia lifted an eyebrow. "It's not uncommon for those brutes to spar."

"They say the sky over their city turned black. Not even the head Soul Reaper can do that, you have to admit."

The old man—the fire demon who burned her pack and thousands of Hollows over the years. And someone now eclipsed him.

Tia bit down on her surprise, thanking her extra-high collar for masking much of her expression. "So what? And I doubt their Pesquisas was accurate enough to feel through those walls."

"Perhaps…"

Shrugging, Tia casually fired a Cero into the horizon, lighting up the night sky in a tinge of yellow and gold. "It doesn't matter how powerful they become. They know they can't wipe us out, or they'll disrupt the balance between the worlds. There's billions of souls scattered out there." She glanced at Sung-sun, wondering if she had an unreached potential. "And even if they do, only their strongest few captains are a match for me."

Sung-sun giggled.

"Hmph." Tia shrugged her off, and decided to divert the conversation before her irritation flared. "We could ask that shop keeper for some tea packets next time he comes visit though."

Sung-sun smirked, and for a few second, Tia expected her to not take the hint. "Alright… I'll keep a lookout for him"

"Good, I'm looking forward to it," Tia said, turning back to her throne. "I have some questions for him."

"Questions?"

"Hmmm." Tia sat down, then recalled her encounter with him, Urahara as he had introduced himself too casually, then rambled on about his life as a shopkeeper in the living world. Tia didn't know whether to execute the fool or humour him by playing the charade. Whatever he was, he hadn't appeared very strong—at first. Whatever it was, the man was more dangerous than he let on. And he was definitely a Soul Reaper—like Aizen.

"Just some questions. Like how he managed to get here."

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes, it does," Tia said, her voice hard. "Everytime time a non-Hollow comes to this world, trouble comes with them. Approach him with caution. That's an order."

"Absolutely, Mistress," Sung-sun said, dipping her head. "He seemed innocent enough though… I watched him the entire time. All he did was wander around the areas where the Hollows first started going crazy. He took a few scoops of sand and left."

"He's not to be trusted. He's a Soul Reaper," Tia said flatly. "I could feel his spirit energy, even if you couldn't."

"Hmmmmm," Sung-sun mumbled, tilting her head. "That's true I guess."

And it was true. Tia had perfected her Pesquisa for hours every night before she slept, sharpening every tingle and twinge to react to the tiniest speck of spirit energy. She trained to be more powerful, more observant than any other Hollow or Arrancar. She wouldn't be caught off-guard by a damn Soul Reaper again. She wouldn't fall prey to another one of their illusion abilities.

But one thing had lingered on her mind every night… She bit her lip and swallowed. "Tell me, what is the name of that human who defeated Aizen?"

Flinching, Sung-sun straightened and let her arm droop to her side. "Oh what's this? Orihime didn't tell you when she healed us?"

"No."

"Mmmm… It was Ichigo Kurosaki. Why do you ask?"

"I was only curious," she lied, not wanting to reveal how many times her thoughts had strayed to this mystery person. Since that day, she hadn't slept well every night, tossing and turning till she exhausted the overflow of her spirit energy, and fell into a sleep riddled with cold-sweat. She couldn't let it go—couldn't accept that a mere human had succeeded where she failed.

Sung-sun covered her mouth with her sleeved hand again. "Did you also know he lost his Soul Reaper powers from the fight?"

Tia's stomach flipped. "I did not," she blurted as her heart skipped several beats. "Leave me," she breathed, waving her away.

"Yes mistress," she said, strolling through the doorway. "I'll be on the lookout for the shopkeeper… for the tea."

Tia jolted from her throne and punched the Sekkiseki wall, then kept punching till her anger only simmered in her temples, throbbing in her skull and behind her eyes. She shouldn't be so emotional, but a mere human had outclassed her and took the sacrifice she should have rightfully made. It was her aspect of death—why she had protected her pack and fellow Arrancar. They sacrificed everything and she had sacrificed nothing in return. She had utterly and completely failed.

Flipping her hair, she paced back onto the balcony, her steps rugged and far from elegant. She couldn't help it—her Hollow side that she had fully controlled decades ago. Before she lost control to her rabid instinct, she closed her eyes and breathed, centering herself on her heart and rhythmic thumps throughout her body. The calming technique helped whenever she needed to reign in her mood, but it would be never the same as when she had been a human…

A human. Tia had been born as the only human-like Arrancar with a beating heart that no other Hollow possessed. It was her gift, so to speak, granting her a trait that outshone the rest. Not like Ulquiorra's regeneration or Starrk's split soul, but her own piece of humanity she could grasp onto to fill the Hollow hole within her womb. More human and more compassionate than the rest, but more vulnerable in battle. Though her heart had almost costed her existence during her time as an Adjucha, she wouldn't trade it anything. Not even for all the vanilla tea in Soul Society.

But still, a half-human had trumped her and took down that betraying rat. Perhaps Tia should thank him, owe him a debt as the humans would say, or challenge him to a battle for taking her vengeance and sacrifice. But he wouldn't even be able to see her, if he was just a human now. She growled through her throat and shot a cero into the distance, then paced till the thought of Ichigo Kurosaki was bearable.

As her pacing slowed, a pitter-patter of steps registered in her Pesquisa.

Tia flashed down onto the sand in a sluggish Sonido. "Nelliel, where are you going?"

"Gahh!" Nell blurted, tumbling backwards into the sand. "Tia scared Nel!"

Crossing her arms beneath her breasts, Tia stood for ten seconds before speaking. She had learnt to be patient with the child-Arrancar, and definitely not emotional when speaking to her. "I didn't mean to. I was just worried for your safety."

"Nel's okay!" she chirped and balanced herself on the dune, then dusted off thin sand. "What brings Tia out to the sand?"

Tia could have laughed, bemused by the childish antics and carefree demeanour much like Lilynette's. But this was serious. The Hollows had been getting worse every day. "Why are you running away from the fortress? You know the Hollows out there aren't nice."

Nel scratched her head, her stocky fingers brushing against her cracked mask. "Aaahhhh Nel forgot."

"I will wait till you remember." Tia swallowed her irritation and relaxed her stance.

"Okay!" Nell chirped at bounced on the sand. "Nel will build a sand castle!"

And so Tia sighed and looked to the horizon as Nel hurled up saliva onto the sand.

Only a minute passed till Nel spoke. "Oh I remember!" She jumped straight and pointed into the sand far into the distance. "The Menos are having a party!"

Tia spun to where she pointed, firing a pulse of her Pesquisa into the desert in all directions. Empty desert occupied most of the world's surface, a few small animal-Hollows dotted here and there. Most souls had been condensed into the packs of Menos Grande that roamed the forests beneath, attracting lesser Hollows like a beacon. Fools—that's what every newborn Hollow was, charging into the Menos blindly, thinking they found an easy meal.

Tia's Pesquisa sifted through the forests and sand, picking up a few stray Menos within a few miles, and a tiny lizard Hollow too. And true to Nel's word, hundreds— no, thousands of Menos Grande wafted towards a gathering fifty miles to the west. "Another Adjucha being born like this… Born into insanity," she mumbled and turned to Nel. "Apologies, Nelliel, I was preoccupied and didn't notice. I'll take care of—"

Her Pesquisa passed through a source of spirit energy so dense and so concentrated that her heart stuttered. She flashed into the air, throwing her gaze eastward to the where the desert had thinned out, barren of Hollows and had been so for several years now.

But that wasn't all… The spirit energy was mostly that of a Soul Reaper's—at least as powerful as a captain.

"Nel!" Tia snapped. "Tell Grimmjow to take care of the Adjucha!"

"But—"

"Now!"

After a few seconds, Nel jerked a nod and hurried back into the fortress.

Tia buzzed into the east, drawing her blade.

* * *

There was a glimmer in the void.

Karin dove for that last spark of light. She had drifted through the void for countless hours, swimming through eddies of indigo, black, and dark blue Reishi laced in the darkness. Only the sparks had shone rays of light into the void and revealed it's bottomless expanse. She had thought the spray of sparks were from a beacon leading to Soul Society, but she was wrong. The sparks were leaking from her soul, and as each pinpoint of light fizzled, so had a piece of her memories.

She had panicked, throwing tantrums and shouts into the darkness for none to see, for none to hear. And she had broken down and curled into a ball as she cried, watching every memory fade. There was a lovely woman, whom Karin didn't have a name or picture for—only a visage remained in her mind. There was a young boy, and a man, and a younger man, and many others whom were left as white outlines, empty and cold.

The last spark slipped through her fingers.

Just like the sparks before, catching it was an impossibility—a hope she had clinged on to for the sake of her sanity. She had kicked, clawed, and even bit down on the pieces of light falling from her soul, but her limbs only passed through, as if she wasn't there in the first place. As if she was on another plane of the dimension.

The spark fizzled and winked out of existence. She was left it darkness.

Her last memory of Yuzu disintegrated, crumbling into a million coloured cubes starting from the walls of an unrecognisable house. In a brief, pained moment, the memory was no more. Yuzu's innocent smile was no more.

"No," she cried.

She didn't know why she cried, or whom she cried for in this empty abyss. Only dim traces of people remained, burned into her mind she'd see every time she closed her eyes. The tears didn't stop flowing down her cheeks, and she lost track of how long she had cried when her eyes finally dried, leaving a dull ache in her throat and sinuses.

Time passed, clocked by the eddies of Reishi. She counted each twirl, each revolution and each tiny alteration of their eternal dance routine. She counted to the thousands—to the hundreds of thousands till the numbers became too large to think within a twirl.

And then she'd start counting all over again, doing her best to ignore the many empty silhouettes in her mind. She'd feel a spike of anguish in her chest whenever she looked over the group of empty outlines, bringing her loss to the forefront of her thoughts. The young girl stood out the most—calling to her, beckoning as if she was a best friend, or a lovely sister.

She shook her head and shoved her away. It wouldn't make a difference now, for wallowing in pain wouldn't bring those sparks back. Only the higher power, or whoever was in control of this void could, and if she ever met that person, she'd give them hell for what they had just taken from her.

In time, she grew accustomed to her loss. She probably died recently, she reasoned. They'd move on, in time, and so should she.

Except nothing in this void helped her move on. Counting the twirls of Reishi barely served as a distraction.

"Ladadee, ladadoo, ladedaa," she began singing as she counted. "Ladadoo, ladadee, ladadaa…"

At least she had the eddies for company.

"Oh gods," she said, throwing her head back. "I'm going insane."

Half chuckling, half sobbing, she continued her count to the ends of the void and beyond.

She had nothing left, nothing to lose and nothing to offer the void for guidance. She only had her count, and the Reishi that wouldn't talk back no matter how much she questioned them. They'd twirl and twirl, but never notice her existence—if she existed at all.

Shrugging, she backstroked through the void as she counted, letting the minutes and hours pass seamlessly. Though time had no meaning here.

Only when her count had died down in her head and she had settled into a mindless trance, she realised. She forgot her name.

And she didn't even care.

She didn't care she had lost her name, because without her memories and without knowing who she was, any name would be pointless. She'd be living in the body of another, living as someone whom would be recognised by friends and family unrecognisable to her. Strangers in her eyes, and worst of all, she'd break their hearts if they saw her like this.

So she floated in the void and let the time pass for what she'd count as days through the twirls of Reishi.

Eventually, a voice called to her, nudging her out of the trance.

'All has been aligned… It is your time…'

The voice was familiar in ways—layered, ancient, emotionless, and permeated through the void in an echo.

'All has been aligned… It is your time…'

"Who are you?"

For a moment, she worried that the voice belonged to one whom she had forgotten before it spoke again. 'Look… and see…'

"Where?" She looked around and searched for the source of the voice.

Appearing suddenly, a fluttering spec of light lingered in the distance, distorted by the dancing Reishi.

Before she realised what had happened to her, she stood in a dimly lit room decorated with several lines of curtains, sluggishly hooked to the walls. Hundreds of candles burned on the floorboards in concentric circles, a dark-skinned, bald man sitting in the center, chanting in a low voice. As the muddled words echoed in the room, many bands of black and white liquid swirled in the air and occasionally peeled off towards—

What appeared to be a man without arms or legs suspended in a crystal, emotionless and blank. Creepy as hell—made worse by his four-pupil eyes.

"Hey," she said.

The dark man didn't turn around.

"Hey!"

When her call fell on deaf ears, she stomped forward, but when her foot passed through a candle as if she wasn't there, she jumped back and passed through the body of another man.

"What the hell?" she spat, tumbling to the curtained entrance. "Hey! You two!"

She stood and stormed in front of the standing man, waving her hand in his pale face and ridiculous hair. Her irritation bubbled more. "Hey Bozo!"

'They can not hear or see... while you are in the elevated plane,' the voice she heard in the void called.

She turned to where she heard the voice—to the man-crystal. "Is that you?"

'Yes… It is easier… to communicate when you are close.'

"So who are you? And why are you like that?"

"There is little time for talk…"

"what happened to my memories?!" she snapped. She'd get some answers for that if nothing else.

The man-crystal didn't respond and kept his eight-pupil gaze to the distance.

"Answer me! What happened to—"

The pale man interrupted "Do you think they'll handle it without Kurosaki?"

"It is difficult to say," the dark man replied.

"How much energy did you redirect into that animal?"

"A cupful." His tone was clipped. "Mmmm… Maybe a thousand cup fulls. Really big cups."

The pale man whistled "Oooo shit."

"Okay okay. Over three thousand bathtubs."

He whistled again. "Do we need to go down there?"

"If it gets out of hand, yes."

She blinked, jaw drooping as every sentence was exchanged. If she had her memories, she'd be sure she just heard the most vague conversation in her life. Cupfuls of energy—absolute nonsense. "What the hell are you two talking about?! What happened to my memories?!"

When they didn't respond, she huffed and looked away. Perhaps not knowing the answer would be better for her sanity. Perhaps she didn't want to know in the first place. "What assholes."

The pale man strolled a few steps forward, stopping a feet before the first line of candles. "If anyone kicks the bucket, it's on you, especially if it's the Kuchiki girl." He chuckled. "Kurosaki won't like that one bit."

"This leaking power has to go somewhere. It was either the bunny or a hundred thousand souls this time. Even if I chose the latter, they'd still have to fight off another one of those juiced up bug Hollows."

"What about the next time? We only had one of those animals to work with."

"By then… I'm counting on Kurosaki to—"

A high-pitched screech reverberated through the room, followed by a wave of purple and black light.

She spun back to the man-crystal. A crack had formed on the outer-crystal, leaking purple and black miasma. She sidestepped as the miasma crept to her body. A call of her instinct told to not touch the shimmering air.

"Do something!" she shouted.

The dark man began chanting again and the bands of white-black liquid filled in the cracks. Not before long, the crystal was perfectly repaired and the leaking substance dispersed like steam. She pulled her arm back as a stray piece fell onto her hand and singed the top layers of her skin.

'Power is fading,' the man-crystal said. 'Balance is disrupted… All may be lost…'

"What do you mean?" she asked, both worried and irritated from his perpetual vagueness. "What will be lost?"

'Everything… There is little time… You have chosen…'

"I haven't chosen anythi—" she realised he was referring to something she had forgotten about. "What did I choose?"

'Your sacrifice.' The top-right pupil in each of his eyes started glowing a brilliant scarlet, shinning brighter till the light flooded through the candles and blue sky leaking through the curtains.

She backed away a couple of steps to the entrance, and debated whether to run out while the two men remained oblivious.

'Stay…' His glowing pupils floated out of his crystal and shot into her eyes. She slapped her hands onto her eyes, expecting an intense pain as every muscle constricted. But there was no pain when she looked again.

'My passing will soon come… you will play a pivotal role when that time arrives…'

"And you're not going to explain what that means?"

'It is uncertain… the lines of fate are dispersed.'

She thought to retort, to raise the questions of her memories and his maimed form again, but bit her tongue and restrained herself. She had an incline that he was the dark and mysterious type—no matter how much she'd question, she'd only receive half answers or none at all. "Fine," she mumbled, shoving away the thoughts of the blank silhouette left by her memories.

"Look," the pale man said. "He only has three per eye now."

The dark man nodded, as if he could see what had been happening the entire time.

"Does that mean he's about to roll over?"

The dark man shook his head. "We still have time… unless Kurosaki does something again and draws energy, it should be stable for a week or two. And that should be enough for him." He took a breath and rushed a few mouthfuls of his strange chant in between sentences. "I don't know when, and I don't know how, but he'll be—"

The air rippled, and no more sound came from the dark man's mouth despite his moving lips.

'It is time!' the man-crystal roared, his layered voice tearing through the room like a drum. 'Take your place within the begging of the new world!'

"New world?" She gasped, jolting straight as a torrent of red spirit energy erupted around her, cascading towards her from all directions and spinning around her body in a vortex.

The energy collapsed into her chest, punching through her heart and filling her being with such emptiness, sorrow, and anger that a feral scream escaped her throat. Never had she felt such base emotion, despite not having any of her memories, and this certainly couldn't be human emotion. This was something very different.

She clawed at her chest, where the emptiness concentrated, but her fingers passed through air.

"What the hell?" she whispered, looking down to her chest.

A hole had formed where her heart at been, but the gaping wound didn't bleed or sting or pain her at all. Just pure emptiness and raging emotion, and it was taking over her mind. Anguish. Sorrow. Her lost memories.

She collapsed to her knees. "What the hell did you do to me?"

The air ripple again, then the scene and her body shattered as if made of ice, yet she could still somehow see the bits of her skin and bones breaking off and clunking into the void. And when her limbs disintegrated, she felt as if she hadn't had limbs her entire life. As if it was natural to be without a body.

When the pieces disintegrated, she was suddenly looking up to a crescent moon and bathing within it's gentle rays. The light shone into her empty depths, resonating with her myriad of emotions. And there was hunger too… Hunger for power, for battle, for blood and agony of any foe that'd cross her.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAA" She whipped her tail and slashed her claw through the air, releasing a wave of red energy by instinct. The sands she stood on glassed when the wave glided through. Where did this body come from? She didn't care.

"Tch, I came all this way for a weakling," a male voice said.

She spun around, sweeping her tail through the sand. She flickered her gaze back and forth within the flat crater, and almost missed a blue-haired humanoid figure, half her size. Was he a human? She would have thought so, but he had a hole his abdomen much like her own.

And he apparently wanted to fight.

Oh, she'd give him one and sink her teeth into his flesh.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **A/N: The tone and feel of the fic** has **definitely changed, especially with this chapter. Ichigo's interaction with his harem will continue to be humorous and** light **though. This chapter also introduces the final POV character of this fic—Tier Harribel.**

 **The** karin **scene was difficult to write—for many reasons. I just couldn't get it right for a long time, and even now it's still quite off. It's quite rushed with a lot happening, partly because I wanted to get these events out of the way to move the plot forward, but mostly because I didn't want a 10-15k word section of the fic dedicated to** karin's **journey to becoming a Hollow. Basically, the Soul King forcibly reincarnated her as an **adjucha **while one was being born from a thousand Menos** Grande, **if you're not following.**

 **So what next is pretty obvious. Harribel meets Ichigo, who just arrived in** hueco mundo **, and** karin **fights** grimmjow **. But next chapter will cut back to soul society, and continue with whatever is happening there.**


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

As the elder captains dispersed from the meeting hall in smooth flash steps, Rukia gazed into the crimson walls, unable to push back the torrent of thoughts brought on from the events of the meeting. In so little time, so much had happened.

She stood dazed, barely noticing Soifon linger behind. She'd been swaying about all throughout the meeting at the corner of Rukia's eye. Perhaps the battle with the wasp Hollow and her transformation took more out of her than Rukia initially though—or yet again, something happened to drain Soifon's reserves. She'd been having the worst luck recently—ever since the orgy with Ichigo.

Or perhaps Rukia was overreacting again… Her Hollow side had been clouding her judgment.

Soifon said something angrily, but Rukia's mind was a whir, lost in a jumble of thoughts brought on from the hour long meeting that she'd fidgeted throughout. She'd need to practice standing meditation so she could at last multiple hours in the future. A captain needed to maintain an aura of composure at all times—much unlike a certain boy-captain who sauntered away moments earlier.

Her eyes gravitated back towards the opposite wall and a spot on polished wooden floorboards that she had stared at throughout the meeting. She couldn't stop her lip quivering, trying to stop her mind from going down that line of thought.

Of course, her half-Hollow mind betrayed her.

Toshiro, who was supposedly looking after Karin in the living world, had returned. Rukia would have guessed he was called back for aid, and Karin had been sent to Urahara's shop. But the look on the boy captain's face hinted at repressed sadness so deep that he looked to almost break down every few minutes. But the Hollow attacks couldn't have gotten to Karin, for he was a captain, a child prodigy one in ten thousand Soul Reapers.

Though something must have happened. Rukia was sure on that strand of intuition. "Follow your heart," Kaien had once said.

The only problem was that her heart had been tainted by a Hollow influence.

If something happened to Karin… She'd wring the life out of the child-captain and make his reincarnation a living hell. And that wouldn't even compare to what Ichigo'd do to him…

Rukia bit her lip and hoped Ichigo wouldn't be depressed for a century to come. She couldn't allow that to happen, allow for her perverted lover to fall to despair again. She'd need to talk to Toshiro immediately.

Or perhaps Karin was doing something human for once and finally broke it off with the several decade old captain. She could be doing something normal right this moment. Normal—like going on a human school camping expedition, or having a human sleepover with a friend, or a just being a normal human at home by herself for the meantime. Of course she'd be safe with Urahara now back in the living world. She had been developing her Quincy powers afterall, and that's just what she needed to keep her human life safe and secure.

But that look on Toshiro's face…

Something had happened. Something had absolutely happened.

Rukia huffed, shaking her head, and threw her thoughts of Karin and Toshiro back onto the pile of other worries, only to be replaced by another.

Ukitake. He hadn't been at the final part of her captaincy exam hours earlier, for he had still been weak from yesterday's accident—all thanks to Rukia's carelessness. And yet, he had that same warm smile, and that same warm glow he had always shown her while she was part of the thirteenth division. So kind, and so gentle.

She hadn't even apologised yet.

She didn't deserve him. It was only a freak chance of luck that Kaien and then subsequently Ukitake had taken her under their guidance—guidance that she had much taken for granted. If only she had been stronger, more dedicated to her studies in Kido, she'd have been able to save Kaien from Aizen's freak Hollow.

A freak Hollow similar to what she'd recently become… All to gain the strength to protect and be with Ichigo. Was it worth it? The answer escaped her thoughts, teasing her psyche with flashes of destruction she could bring upon Soul Society if she lost control of her other side. All the elder captains warned her of such—they'd felt her Hollow spirit energy first hand when she released during her exam.

Captain Kyoraku had been the first to comment, naturally. "Now that Jushiro is healed, I'd like to see what you can do without the aid of your Hollowfied Zanpukto."

She'd panicked at first, worrying that she'd be an utter disappointment without her Zanpukto, weak husk using borrowed power.

Her throat tightening, Rukia replayed the final duel of her captaincy exam to herself. Hakuda—against Yamamoto. No Zanpukto releases. No Hollow power. No Kido. Just pure skill and spirit energy.

She'd been severely outclassed from the initiation bouts. Yamamoto had dodged every punch and kick, taunting her that she'd need her crutch Zanpukto release in every battle. Of course, he was right as usual. Though she had the spiritual energy that of an elite captain, she had neither the skill or battle-intuition to last in equal footing. The elderly head captain had her laying face-down on the frozen stone under a minute.

"You've much to learn," he had said when the spar ended. "Not a single captain had attained their power overnight. To do so is a very dangerous." He had gestured to the arena, pointing out the trails of ice and snow Rukia had unleashed with every move.

"Head captain, I understand. I'm not of—"

"And much like Ichigo Kurosaki," he had interrupted with a hint of a smirk, "you've yet to master critical thought, despite your slightly superior intelligence."

Rukia had understood before he finished speaking. Yamamoto had just refereed to her as a captain, meaning she had passed, but just barely through sheer strength of her new powers and slight proficiency in Kido. But at least she was no Zaraki—she was only slightly like Zaraki, accidentally injuring people with swings of a sword.

She'd have to make things right with Ukitake one day. Kaien too, even if his family had already forgiven her. Perhaps his reincarnation would possess some of his old memories.

"Thank you, head captain," she had eventually said, restraining her spirit energy once more within her inner-snowflake seal. The trails of ice began melting within seconds.

He had nodded, and walked back to murmur with Kyoraku and Unohana for three tense minutes before Unohana revealed folded, white coat. She offered the garb with a serene smile, demeanour a mix of her usual motherly self and secret ruthless warrior.

"Be careful. It's difficult to step on ants without crushing them," Kyoraku had offered with a wicked smile as Rukia accepted the clothing with a bow and respectful smile.

"C—Cap—Captain," she had stuttered as Kyoraku chuckled before something begun to emerge across his features.

It had taken Rukia a minute to recover from the shock of the joke. She slapped on a polite smile of course, but inwardly, she was deeply disturbed by such a casual reference to Aizen. The words were the exact same as the traitor had said when he cut down Renji and Ichigo atop Sokyoku hill, forever engraved into Rukia's subconscious next to the memory of herself cutting down Kaien. Renji was only lucky that he hadn't met the same fate.

"You're captain of squad five," Kyoraku said, breaking her out of her shock only to wrench her guts again. "I hope you don't end up like the last one."

Her legs had almost failed. "Yes captain," she had mumbled and looked to her feet.

Rukia had remained silent for the remainder of their impromptu meeting, simply listening to their discussions on the bubbly foe she had alerted them to before the exam started. Surprisingly, they hadn't been alarmed at all. On the surface, they treated the situation as if it was business-as-usual. Like no one would potentially die—no one like…

Soifon! Rukia thought as her mind whirled again.

She hadn't been ordered to take part in the mission to the Rukongai, safe and out of the way for the elder captains to do battle. She hadn't been questioned on her leaking Quincy spirit energy either, which the head captain had obviously noticed at a glance. Very strange.

Either this was a cruel test—or it was a death sentence. The Quincy were to be killed on sight as per Central 46's order from a thousand years ago. Every academy graduate knew that. Ichigo and his family were only secretly spared by rule of the head captain due to his status of the oh so mighty 'Hero of the Winter War'.

And Soifon's own transformation hadn't been as impressive as Rukia's. She was barely on Ukitake's level, and Ukitake had a thousand years of experience and training on her. She'd be annihilated if the bubbly foe was dangerous enough for Ichigo to be personally ordered to stay within the Seireitei. She'd be dead within minutes.

The worries churned in Rukia's chest, tumbling in violent eddies till a sharp sting cracked across her right cheek.

"Ah!" she spat, blinking as her surroundings registered. She'd been in a trance within the captains' meeting hall for a good while if Soifon's glare said anything.

"Arrrh. Rukia, wake up!" Soifon yelled into Rukia's face, slapping her back and forth, Quincy and Soul reaper spirit energy spilling with every strike.

Catching Soifon's hand with ease, Rukia leaned away with burning cheeks and rising irritation. "What is it?!"

Soifon barred her teeth. "What is happening?! Why are all the younger captains and Soul Reapers being sent on the mission except us? I know you know something." She poked Rukia's shoulder, leaving a whiff of Quincy energy smeared onto her new captains' coat.

Rukia was about to speak, but her jaw snagged on her worries. What would she say? More than half the captains were too weak, including Byakuya? Rukia couldn't openly insult her past-superiors like that—especially her brother. She'd need to avoid saying that explicitly else it'd cause dire consequences in the future.

Soifon shook Rukia's shoulder. Her well-trimmed eyebrow rose higher by the second. "Well? This has something to do with that paper parchment Ichigo left behind doesn't it? Could Yamamoto read it?"

"I…" Rukia mumbled, loosing track of that sentence. What happened to Toshiro? What if Soifon would get hurt in the upcoming attack? What would Ichigo think of it all? Was Ichigo still alive, all alone in Hueco Mundo?

"Did you hand in the parchment when you finish your captaincy exam? Was the news bad?"

The worst news possible.

Rukia stared over Soifon's shoulder, remembering again how the elder captains had reacted to the Bubbly foe, and the order for Ichigo to stay guard. Their reactions hadn't been what she'd expected—quite the opposite. Only Unohana had appeared slightly concerned.

It had taken a half-hour argument to convince them to put a plan into place. They had given in, but only on condition that she finish her exam. An exam that almost killed Ukitake… She grimaced, burying the guilt yet again.

Features scrunching in irritation, Soifon spat a growl, then pulled out Ichigo's Wakizashi from within her coat and unsheathed the matte-black blade, surprising Rukia. She'd already forgotten that Soifon had shown the captains the blade—though at least it was confirmation that Ichigo was indeed alive. "Can you fix Rukia?" Soifon asked, holding the blade parallel to the floorboards.

No response. Nothing—not even a pulse of spiritual pressure.

"I think Tensa is in Hueco Mundo with Ichigo… the blade is only a physical manifestation of his power," Rukia tried, changing the subject in a hope to avoid talking about her fears. "Has Yoruichi talked to Urahara about contacting Ichigo yet?"

"No, Ichigo's father called for her." Soifon said and and tilted her head a fraction.

"What about captain Kurotsuchi? You didn't ask him during the meeting."

Soifon shifted before looking away for several seconds. Was that guilt or embarassment? Rukia couldn't read her as well as usual—likely caused by her inner struggle right now. "I was distracted. There's a lot happening right now."

Indeed, Rukia agreed silently. At least she got that right.

Soifon appeared lost in thought for, staring at Rukia's cheek in a trance as she had just been before. Minus the worry of couse—Soifon seemed to be more frustrated and drained than worried. Nose twitching, Soifon said, "Is the mission into the Rukongai going to need Ichigo's backup? Why aren't the elder captains taking part when there are Hollows like that out there?"

So she wouldn't let it drop—of course she wouldn't.

Rukia's shoulders sagged. Soifon had a right to know, even if she wasn't able to read the parchment, for she had grown to be Rukia's closest friend over the past weeks. A lover more than a friend, Rukia had to admit grudingly. Though another dead friend or lover wasn't something she'd allow, now that she'd been given the power to prevent it. She'd have to stay extra close to Soifon when the bubbly foe arrives. Stick to her like glue, as those in the world of the living would say.

"It's because they might die," she said flatly, then added after a moment, "Head captain Yamamoto's option of course." A small lie to protect herself.

"What?" Soifon said after a few seconds, her voice quieter than usual.

"They might get in the way… so they're being sent to the Rukongai…" Rukia trailed off.

Now that she thought about it, the plan seemed rather bizarre now that it had simmed in her mind for hours. Usually when captains were given missions no low ranks would accompany—they just didn't have the power to fight along side the officers. The half-intellegent Soul Reapers would deduce they'd been ordered to get out of the way of an upcoming conflict. It was both fortunate and troublesome that most werent. And that the rest followed orders unquestionly—including the captains. Yamamoto just had that aura of hellish fire when annoyed.

Soifon waved Ichigo's blade in her face. "Get on with it. As a captain I order you to spit it out."

"I'm a captain too now…" Can captains give order other captains? Rukia filed away the question for later; for when she'd start rebuilding squad five which was in near desertion after Aizen's betrayal.

"Then as a fellow captain, spit it out!"

Nodding, Rukia forced an empty chuckle and looked her in the eye, looked her in those sleek, sharp, grey eyes that so few women had. Perhaps that and her electric personality was what drew Ichigo to her. "I could read what was written on that parchment. Sorry for not telling you, but I was worried…" she began and recounted the events of her resumed captaincy exam and discussion of the bubbly foe. Her voice was monotone yet laiden with worry, leaving her lips as if her subconscious was talking while her mind was still tumbling further into her Hollow self.

As per the plan, every Soul Reaper, lieutenant, and weaker captain would be in the Rukongai, leaving the Seireitei clear for battle. Yamamoto wanted to minimise casualties in this battle, for the sake of Soul Society, and bolster the court guard squads' reputation. So few souls enrolled into the academy ever since the winter war—rumours had quickly spread of every captain failing in battle.

For once, Yamamoto had shown some enthusiasm, enthusiasm to prove his strength. That reminded Rukia of Ichigo. Hopefully Ichigo wouldn't age so badly in a thousand years.

Kyoraku had theorised some of their Bankais would be needed since Ichigo's presence had been called for, but was quite sceptical on the strength of the bubbly foe. He even cracked a few jokes… though it may just have been his usual, unpredictable mask. Unpredictable yet calculating yet lazy-as-hell.

Unohana hadn't said much, except that her healing powers would be ready if needed. She hadn't commented whether she'd like to take part in the fight, concerning Rukia somewhat. Something told her the old captain severely held held back when Ukitake had been healed by her Bankai. A part of Rukia wanted to see her true strength—even by first hand.

And hopefully Ichigo would have recovered and returned as well.

As her recount finished, in a torrent of words, she let out her worries in such a flood that Soifon took a step back. "…and I'm worried that we might lose you as well now! I'm worried that Ichigo will turn into a sad pile of pathetic mush for good this time!" Worried that she'd not have sex again in decades, she wanted to add, but was far too embarrassed to go down that line of thought. A touch of prudeness still lingered in her that hadn't been stamped out by Ichigo's spirit.

Looking back at Soifon, hesitating, Rukia wondered if she would flash step out of the meeting hall, for she had been visibly taken aback by Rukia's outburst. Not a good look for a new captain, or any captain within the court guard squads. She'd need to work on reigning in her Hollow emotions someway.

"Why are you so worried?" Soifon said after a moment. "It's not that bad. At least we have a plan and warning this time."

"I don't know…" For some damn reason, Rukia didn't want to talk about her Hollowfication either. To talk about how she cheated to gain such power felt deeply wrong, going against the grain of her soul and why she had enrolled into the Soul Reaper academy all those decades ago. "Well aren't you afraid of the bubbly foe?"

"That sounds ridiculous."

"Right." It was not ridiculous.

Not ridiculous.

"It's not ridiculous," she said out loud.

"Right," Soifon mimicked, pulling a sheepish face similar to those of Orihime's.

Minutes passed awkwardly. Rukia clamped down on an urge to scream at Soifon, scream worries that the bubbly foe might be the end of her and Yoruichi. Scream worries that she might accidentally maim someone with her new powers.

But at least Unohana agreed to linger at the sidelines and heal whomever.

"Well…" Soifon said and yawned. "Aizen did turn into a butterfly… And we did just fight a similar looking wasp…"

"Yes!" Rukia snapped. "You and Yoruichi almost died! Ichigo left without his Zanpukto! I almost killed Ukitake! Toshir—" Her voice broke as her chest heaved. She clutched her sides, breathing erratically.

"So you don't have a crush on captain Hitsugaya?" Soifon suddenly said.

Rukia flinched, Soifon's out-of-nowhere question slapping her mind back into focus. "What…"

Smirking, Soifon thumbed towards where the boy-captain had stood. "You were staring at him during during the meeting. You didn't take your eyes off him till the end. You're still glancing at that spot he stood every now and then."

"I'm worried about Karin," Rukia said flatly and deadpanned.

Soifon tilted her head, giving Rukia an unreadable look. She hadn't seen this one yet. "Of course you are." Her tone was teasing.

True, the boy was considered cute by many, but Rukia saw him more as a child. He had such a flat personality too—so unlike Ichigo and Kaien. "Karin. Worried about Karin." She straightened her stance, steeling her body language, and scowled like Ichigo to convey she meant what she said and nothing else.

"Alright… If you say… Though she's probably be at Urahara's shop," soifon said and whistled. "So can you fix Rukia?" she asked Ichigo's blade, swishing it through the air back and forth.

"I'm not broken, idiot!"

"You've been acting progressively stranger ever since your Hollowfication." Soifon blinked, insight bursting through her features. "It's that pervert's fault! You—"

Tiny indigo sparks bubbled on Ichigo's blade.

In a small flash of purple light, the sparks shot at Rukia and Soifon, dazzling their sights for several seconds.

Rukia coughed and checked her body for changes. Nothing appeared different—on the surface. But her core was warming, and the skin around her privates tingled. Her heart thumped. "Not this again," she groaned, hunching over as her nipples hardened. She really did not need this right now.

Soifon let out a deep groan and sheathed the blade so very casually, as if she had been trained to withstand this stimulation. Trained to enjoy this by Ichigo.

"Well do you feel better?" Soifon asked and shifted her footing.

Rukia squeezed her eyes shut. "Shit!" she snapped, toes curling as an urge to be filled spread through her core. This was much more intense than last time. "I'm suddenly horny as fuck. How does that make me feel better?!"

"You're less worried." Soifon's voice was cool, although a tinge of lust broke through.

"Arrrrhhh." Rukia clenched her muscles, fighting her burning, empty loins. "How are you so calm?"

"I must have gotten used to it," Soifon breathed, her arousal now dripping off her voice.

Rukia hissed a growl, her sandal scuffing back on the floorboard. "What the hell… Ichigo's not even here," she said as her clit twitched and pussy throbbed. Her hand cramped, jerking towards her waist. She'd finger herself to orgasm twice if Soifon wasn't watching. "How the hell does this help?!" she roared, then turned her anger at Soifon. "Why the fuck did you take out his Zanpuk—"

Their eyes met. In front of Rukia stood not just a woman but a person she found attractive beyond belief. What did Ichigo's spirit just do?

She didn't care, because she was already on top of Soifon, groping her breast and tasting her sweet lips. So soft, so warm and sensual that her occasional kisses with Ichigo would never compare with this. Though she also longed for Ichigo to be here this instant as well, contrasting Soifon's tenderness with his rough affection.

Soifon reciprocated with equal enthusiasm, pressing her toned body against Rukia and kissing fiercely.

Rukia pulled back for a quick breath and inhaled Soifon's scented tropical bodywash. "Ooooooh," she moaned, and played with Soifon's hard nipple through the thin fabric of her uniform. "Dammit. Ichigo's Zanpukto must be laughing it up right now." In a bout of lust, she ripped open the front of Soifon's outfit. Her perky breasts lay bare before Rukia, flush and full, ready for her to devour.

"I bet this is Ichigo's teenage wet dream," Soifon said.

Before Rukia could respond, a familiar spiritual pressure edged near, moving down the hallway in heavy, ragged steps that no captain would tread. "Someone's coming." She grunted in annoyance, and pulled Soifon away in her fastest flash step.

They landed in the midst of trees of a nearby park and Koi pond, empty at this time of day. Any Soul Reaper caught slacking would be reprimanded harshly. Perfect. A wide grin pulled at her cheeks. Her worries only lingered slightly on the surface of her mind now.

Soifon giggled. "See you are feeling better."

"Yeah."

"Come on," Soifon said, tugging at Rukia's Shihakshou. "Show me what you've got—"

Rukia tackled her into the tall grass. She'd dominate her just like Ichigo would.

Unfortunately…

Whoever had approached them back at the first division had followed. She inwardly cursed for not masking her spiritual pressure better. Her inner snowflake seal had been escaped her concentration since Ichigo left.

"Rukia!" Renji's breathless voice called. "Byakuya wont tell me where Ichigo is and we're all ordered into the Rukongai except for you and…"

Shit. Shit. Shit. Damn the pineapple head.

If Renji discovered her scandalous relationship with Ichigo, Soifon, and Yoruichi, for sure Byakuya and the rest of Soul Society would also inevitably find out. They'd be ridiculed and embarrassed for centuries; scandalised and shunned by the nobles. Renji's loud mouth would be a ticking Kido bomb—thank Soul King that Ichigo had somehow someway kept a tight lip.

Her heart sinking with deathly thumps, Rukia whirled and took the first course of action her dazed and horny mind spun together—Kicking Soifon with a burst of angry spirit energy into the several meter deep pond. "Next time you get Ichigo hurt and it'll be your head!" she yelled and hoped for Soifon catch on.

Seconds passed as Rukia wondered if Renji saw anything. He stood speechless with that dumb look.

Soifon hacked up mouthfuls of dirt-ridden water after resurfacing, her recently washed bangs and stealth uniform ruined. She turned and glared with a look Rukia had learnt to know—pure fury and intent to say or do something brash and potentially stupid.

Rukia shifted and pulled a stunned Renji away in a series of flash steps into the lieutenants' meeting hall, which wasn't far. Renji wouldn't suffer whiplash from above-captain level speed at least. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for your mission?!"

He sputtered nonsensically, a look of heavy confusion etched onto his tattooed face. "You— You attacked captain Soifon! And did you say Ichigo is hurt?!"

The rest of the lieutenants noticed their arrival.

"Ruk— Captain Kuchiki!" Hisagi said as he ran over from the dining area. "This mission makes no sense! Why are all the low level Soul Reapers also coming if the captains' strength is needed? The Seireitei will be deserted. Who will keep everything running?"

"Yeah…" Rangiku mumbled from the left as the others added their agreement and own concerns.

Dammit. Not now.

"What the hell was strong enough to hurt Ichigo?" Renji tried again.

Rukia didn't have time for this, time to explain and convince her friends and lieutenants to go along with the plan—

She was a captain now, and she had real authority. Real power to protect and command the weak. "Your orders are clear!" she snapped, trying to make her voice sound like the head captain's. "Do as you're told or be reprimanded!"

Her intended effect washed through the room. Quick surprise melted into masks of indifference as the officers stood and begun to leave. She'd deal with any broken or hurt relationships later once the threat passed—if she survives that is.

Buzz after buzz they left after casting her varying looks. Worry, confusion, and obvious concern in Renji and Rangiku's case.

Growling, Rukia pulled the two to the side before they left. She couldn't brush off her close friends like that. She just couldn't. She wasn't Byakuya who could bury everything under a mountain of indifference and authority. She was a Hollow—ruled by emotion and despair.

She took a much needed breath, though it wasn't enough. The stress and worry and lingering arousal broke through her facade, marring her pale features. Everything hit her mind at once and sunk her under a weight of jumbled, chaotic thoughts, further buried beneath the cold fury she could feel from Sode within her now blizzard-torn inner world.

"Rukia…" Renji began, more worried now. "Wha—"

She held up a her hand and kept breathing, waiting till her emotions mellowed and allowed for her to form sentences.

Minutes passed till Rangiku put a comforting arm around Rukia's shoulder. Had their relationship always been this close? She couldn't quite remember. "We'll talk about it after this is all over, alright Rukia?"

"But what about Ichi—"

"Later," Rangiku said, steel in her voice.

Ichigo is in Hueco Mundo without his Zanpukto! She couldn't speak.

"Tch, fine. But the strawberry better be alright so I can kick him in the behind for upsetting Rukia."

"Hmph, How sweet." Rangiku withdrew her embrace and turned away. "Let's go." She pulled Renji away and left Rukia to mellow in the empty and freezing meeting hall. Freezing not because of the smoldering embers in the fireplace or the steam from the still-warm cups of tea on the dining table, but freezing because her mind and inner world were still thrashing in turmoil.

"Shit," she whispered and settled into a meditative pose, struggling to calm herself enough to enter Jinzen. Whatever was happening to her mind was indeed becoming progressively worse.

Though she was sure of one fact—she'd pay whatever price for this power to protect and be with Ichigo and her friends here in this long afterlife.

A/N

8/8/2017 Edited again.

2/8/2017 Edited with a minor rewrite.

Well that counts as an update I guess. Unfortunately it's only 3k~ words and seems a bit rushed. Maybe I'll rewrite this chp so it's slower paced.

When the Manga ended back in August last year, I was really disappointed by the ending, and a lot of my interest in bleach crumbled, which is partly why I hadn't updated in so long again. The ending was quite anticlimactic, and many things didn't make sense or was left out. I was never a fan of the Ichigo and Orihime paring either… Since it's been so long, I might do a rewrite of this fic and fix all the massive flaws, buuut… I dont feel like it. I'll just slowly update and build on what's already here now that I'm up to writing this fic again.

In other news, I'm thinking to write a Bleach/Harry Potter crossover where Harry was Ulquiorra and Fleur was Tier Harribel (She died in the winter war in this fic) in their previous lives. Harry and Fleur (who've been in a relationship throughout year 4) take the triwizard cup together at the end of the tournament. They end up getting killed and turn into Hollows, eat a bunch of Menos, eventually evolve to natural arrancar while slowly regaining their memories of both lives, and then try to return to the world of the living to kill Voldemort. Meanwhile Ichigo and friends have been fighting a stalemate war against the Quincy in Soul Society for over 17 years, and then Yhwach learns of a recently revived human who split his soul 6 times. Let me know if it's a good idea or crap.


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Ichigo stepped through the jagged exit of his Garganta and watched the night light up in gold and yellow hues over the ruins of Las Noches, unsure of what to make of the display. He stood too far to feel out the spiritual signature, and he hadn't enough practise sensing spirit energy either. Though the faint traces of energy that he could pick up signalled a powerful Hollow.

With a flick of his wrist, he sealed his Garganta in a reverberating snap, dark-purple tunnel winking out of existence under the lit night sky. The dull shades of yellow simmered for several seconds before the lone moon remained the only light source. Skin prickling against the harsh air, he weighed the level of the power released by that attack—if it was an attack and not some quirk of Hueco Mundo. He hadn't learnt all of the Hollow world's secrets… yet.

Not the level of himself or Rukia or that bastard Aizen, he concluded as the last wisps of yellow energy vanished. Whoever had fired that attack was more powerful than Ulquiorra, but still leagues below that wasp…

He growled under his breath, his stomach turning as Soifon's shrieks and Yoruichi's bloodied form flashed before his senses. They hadn't stood a chance against that… thing. They'd been so close… so so close to dying if he'd arrived minutes later.

So close to losing them. He'd never hear their teasing or sweet laughter or feel their soft skin… He needed them so much—too much. His body trembled as his spiritual pressure platform cracked, threatening to send him into the sands a hundred meters below.

He breathed, recalling what his half-Hollow spirit taught. In and out. Acceptance and emptiness; embrace the despair.

He hardened his jaw and at least tried to embrace his despair; he was part Hollow and it was part of his soul—forever. It was the Hollow hole of his Soul. Either he'd embrace and master his Hollow side, or it'd make him a horse as it had during the war. Both his spirits hammered this point into his mind when he had prepared for his exhibition fight with Kenpachi.

In-out, In-out. He kept breathing and let his emotions fill his being without crushing his mind. He and his Hollow were one and the same.

Fidgeting, he inwardly cursed himself for this display… This pathetic show of control. Why was this so hard? He'd already mastered this side of his Soul if his fight against Kenpachi said anything. He'd achieved full hollowfication, not just the mask—Vasto Lorde form, Hollow hole and everything including an inhumane roar which prevented him from speaking at times. He was the king, not the horse dammit. Though apparently not. Seeing Yoruichi and his beautiful spirit suffer put him over the precipice. The sight fractured his resolve. If his inner-Hollow was still around, not fused, he'd be taunting right now. Echoes of that deranged voice grasped at Ichigo's ears.

He kept breathing and embracing his dark side, his heart beat thumping like a gong. In. Out. In. Out. One and the same—despair and he. He'd make all that'd hurt him and his lovers feel true despair. The power of Hollows was his. He was king.

But his hands still shook. He couldn't help it. He'd almost been too weak after using Mugetsu to heal Yoruichi. Too weak to help Tensa in his inner world… Too weak a decade ago to protect his now dead mothe—

He screamed and tore at his chest with a swipe of his Hollow power, right over his aching heart. He let his dark power blaze in a black and red inferno.

The hole formed below his collarbone, his hollowfication completing within seconds. A horned visage entered his mind's eye.

He was still king. Despair was his aspect of death, just like Ulquiorra. How the demonic bat Arrancar would react now Ichigo couldn't guess; maybe he'd found a heart after reincarnation. How long did it take for a soul to recycle? He couldn't know—no one did except for the Soul King. Though Ulquiorra had been dead for over a year, killed by Ichigo's rampage that could've also killed his friends. Uryu. Orihime. They'd paid the price for his weakness—for his surrender to his sorrow. But no longer. He was indeed king—he was in control.

He shrieked into the starless twilight and clawed at the moon. A ruby-white Cero left his palm—out of instinct. Out of pain. He'd make any more transcended bug creatures feel everything he felt course through his empty chest. He'd make them all despair. Every last one of those bastards.

Though whatever that wasp was, Ichigo couldn't feel anything similar within the dunes or dome of Las Noches. Not even in his current form which was boosted by the ambient Hollow energy. The Hollow-tainted Reishi beckoned at him, pulling at his soul with an alluring grasp. He seized it, letting Hueco Mundo's power flood his own.

He threw his Hollow sense as far as he could, instinctively, searching to the ends of the desert and beyond for spirit energy of the higher plane. Power on that level was a searing beacon to him; how everyone else couldn't even feel it was beyond him. The power of the higher plane was too blinding not to notice.

He found nothing for tens of thousands of miles, only weaklings. Only trash. Millions— Billions of souls out there in torment that couldn't be helped without disrupting the delicate balance between worlds. Such a pity. He couldn't do anything for them—not if the Soul King couldn't.

His tide of Hollow-sense washed through countless Menos beneath the sands, each containing thousands of souls. Nothing out of the ordinary, unfortunately.

But he felt something different in combat with a weaker Arrancar nearby.

Grimmjow. He'd know that spiritual signature anywhere. Whatever he fought was… augmented in some way—much more complex than regular Hollows and even Arrancar. The texture was distantly similar to Ichigo himself, but not of his ascended spiritual power or even that of an Espada. It was barely the level of an Adjucha; probably just another Menos possessing a unique power. The discovery mildly piqued his curiosity, but he had a job to do right now. He had to protect his lovers and friends; he needed to stop their present and future pain. He discarded this train of thought.

He also felt that same Hollow— that Arrancar who'd lit the sky earlier, dashing through the sands straight towards him. That lone Arrancar was stronger than the rest combined. Perhaps he knew something. Perhaps he sensed Ichigo's arrival and felt his power.

Or… Perhaps this Arrancar was the one responsible for his lovers' suffering.

His rage flared for a second. A blast of red and black blew into the desert as his spiritual pressure ascended close to the higher plane.

If this Arrancar was the mastermind behind the attacks and whatever that wasp was… it'd pay with it's life. He'd give it a slow death—worse than what he'd done to Ulquiorra. It didn't deserve a quick finish.

Though… if it wasn't, he'd need to keep cool and sane—if he could. If the thing was another disgusting beast like the Espada Rukia had killed, he'd not be able to remain in control. His body heated in another stab of rage.

He'd get some answers—one way or another. Soon. In ten or twenty minutes by Ichigo's rough measure. Too bad it moved incredulously slow.

Turning, he restarted his scan. The desert and forest below was seemingly endless. Bleak and empty. Dunes after dunes. All the same except for a rocky valley here and there. His efforts didn't even require full attention.

"Zangetsu," he said with his distorted voice, calling to his spirit. He only recently noticed he referred tohis young half-Hollow spirit as Zangetsu while he had named his sexier female spirit as Tensa. They didn't seem to mind, even if the names weren't proper. They were both somehow Tensa Zangetsu. "Do you feel anything? Anything strange here? Any more of those wasps?"

A minute passed before his spirit responded while Ichigo probed with his senses. Zangetsu said in Ichigo's mind, 'As I've said. This place feels different. The allure of the ambient spirit energy has changed… More chaotic… More unstable…'

"Do you think it has anything to do with that wasp? Or the Hollow attacks?"

'Obviously.'

His anger sparked again; he was too vicious in this form. "Can't you be more helpful?"

'No,' Zangetsu said and retreated back into his inner world.

Ichigo grunted, more annoyed, and called to his other spirit. "Tensa! Are you awake?"

After a too-long moment, she chirped, 'Nope.'

Her voice soothed him. The the light ring and echo fanned away his anger and despair in an instant. "Do you have any ideas? Do you feel any more of those wasps out there?"

'Nope.'

"Do you think this Arrancar has anything to do with it?"

She paused for a long moment. He tensed. 'Nope.'

"Because…" he said immediately, not wanting her to fall asleep just yet. "Because the Arrancar isn't that powerful?"

'Nope.'

"Can you say anything other than nope?"

'Nope.'

"Are you better now?"

'Nope.' She retreated from his consciousness.

She'd already recovered so much after being drained by his ultimate Shikai attack. He chuckled and sighed in relief, then noticed he'd lost his hollowfication during one of her quips. White Hierro crumbled into Reishi dust around him as the gaping hole over his heart sealed. His hair reverted back to its shaggy length, lightly touching the collar of his captains' coat. The reverse-transformation almost tickled.

Ichigo didn't bother calling her or his other unhelpful spirit again. They worked in their own ways, and he'd learnt not to interfere, learnt to trust and accept his soul for what it was—what it had become thanks to the Hogyoku. Though he'd need to put a leash on Tensa one day to prevent any more overly perverted incidents.

But whatever would happen, he'd never lose her—his own adorable, perverted Hogyoku spirit. She was his, and his forever till his soul passed on. And thanks to her unique power and their complete soul-fusion, he'd never lose his Soul Reaper powers again, not even if he unleashed a thousand Mugetsu blasts. She'd always be there, ever existing, even if drained of all spirit energy and laying unconscious in a pool. The thought brought him unique peace.

The Arrancar was nearing… but still quite far if his estimate was worth anything. The dunes obscured his measure of distance and size. Despite that, he could sense the Arrancar's movements clearly now, even without being Hollowfied.

He reigned in his spiritual pressure, meditating on his inner snowflake seal, plugging as many triangle-tips as possible. Tensa indeed didn't suspect the Arrancar of anything… Yet she could have lied or given another half-truth for whatever reason—

No. He had to trust his spirits. Trust his soul even if it didn't seem right. After all, during the war his inner hollow had helped him gain the power to save everyone through his roundabout, mad way. Crazy, unhinged, even maniacal. In the end he'd been forged into something stronger by the torturous journey.

He swallowed a breath of dry and sandy air, reigning in on his murderous intent.

The sands remained still under the windless air. Ichigo dropped to the top of a dune and sat cross legged with a single, fluid motion. He breathed, a meditate stupor washing over him. He could count the number of dead trees in view with both hands. The lifeless barrens were beautiful in a way—lit to a soft grey glow under the ever crescent moon. He could see why Hollows were instinctively drawn to this world.

The Arrancar moved agonisingly slow.

Maybe it was just the distance.

All the same, this was an opportune moment to hone his self control when his soul burned for answers and conflict. He meticulously plugged each tiny triangle on his snowflake fractal till his spiritual pressure was nothing but that of a lieutenant's. As a bonus, his emotions calmed as well, the meditation proving its worth. Old man Yama was right as usual.

So he waited and pondered, clamping down on his power till the time was right. A part of him hoped for this confrontation to be bloody.

* * *

The desert passed in a grey fuzz under Tier Harribel's Sonido. She'd been flying through her realm for a while now; she'd underestimated the sheer distance between the fortress and where the Soul Reaper arrived. At the greater distance, the spirit energy had been incredible, overwhelming almost, a brilliant plume of light in the horizon as her Pesquisa had passed through the soul. Clearly a captain. She'd assumed he was closer from the magnitude of energy. Dismally, she was wrong. The distance now appeared to be several times what she thought.

A coil of fear settled into her belly—one she hadn't felt since Aizen struck her down.

She quickened her pace, drawing more of her spirit energy through Tiburon as her unease fermented through her body. Her beating heart stuttered when she neared the spiritual pressure—much clearer now. Over five times that of the white haired kid-captain she fought months ago. Impossible. It had to be the head captain—the fire demon. And he was still immobile over the sands after all these minutes. What could he be waiting for? Did Urahara send him? Why attack Hueco Mundo?

She understood in a flash. They must have had enough of all the insane Hollows attacking Soul Society and the living world.

But to send their head captain was overkill.

That wasn't even mentioning the fact that no one—not even herself, the queen of Hueco Mundo—knew why the Hollows were acting that way. Could the head captain find out why? Did the head captain bear a special power that no one else did? Possible. He was ancient; he was at least a couple thousand years old if what she felt of his spirit energy during the battle over fake Karakura had been accurate.

Concentrating on her blade in hand, she summoned more spirit energy from her depths and doubled her speed. Her blonde locks fluttered wildly at the edges of her sight.

Potential scenarios of the confrontation bubbled through her thoughts. A peaceful meeting. A light battle. A fight to the death. Herself being burned by that monstrous fire, hotter than her Gran Ray Cero. Hotter than the flames of the sun over the living world. Though they weren't enemies right now—their government had ordered for Hueco Mundo to be contained, not eradicated. The balance of souls was always top priority.

However, the fact remained. The head captain of the Soul Reapers now stood within Hueco Mundo. It could be a declaration of war; a war she'd lose. Her logical mind told her the head captain was merely investigating, taking charge of an increasingly troublesome situation as a leader should.

Still, she mentally prepared for a violent confrontation, no matter how distasteful she found it. She'd die anyway in a hot blaze—a meaningless sacrifice which wouldn't even protect her pack and the other Arrancar whom she'd grown rather fond of. She snarled, bracing herself to release Tiburon and retreat if necessary. At least her water element countered the demon's fire. She'd be able to escape with that one advantage. She wasn't a fool like Grimmjow.

Just as her mind wandered to the blue haired Arrancar, the head captain's spiritual pressure exploded to heights she didn't believe existed. The pressure was maddening, squeezing her lungs till she almost blacked out. She steeled herself till her own spiritual pressure reached her maximum without releasing, just enough to stay conscious.

Suddenly, the spirit energy in the distance detonated, morphing, mutating to something it shouldn't be. Red and black scattered into the desert half an inch below the horizon.

The spirit energy was that of a Hollow—not that of a fire demon.

This definitely wasn't the head captain.

She paused her Sonido, this new development barraging her mind with a thousand thoughts. Could this be one of those Soul Reapers with Hollow powers she fought? None had been as powerful as this. Not even the large one who'd defeated Baraggan.

The seconds passed, each marked by a thump within her chest as she floated on a cloud of her spiritual pressure. She couldn't figure out who it was. Could the head captain have attained the same power?

Thump. Thump. Thump.

She considered heading back to the fortress. All the Arrancar minus Grimmjow must have noticed this by now. Appaci, Mila Rose, Sung-Sun, Nell and her Fraccion. They'd all be in danger if this newcomer declared war.

Waiting in lost thought for minutes, Tier prepared to release her blade just in case whoever it was attacked. The hybrid must have noticed her by now if it was that powerful. More powerful than even the head captain if her gauge was right. Though she hadn't seen the head captain fight at full strength. He hadn't even unleashed his Bankai in the battle. And strangely, she hadn't felt any flames when Aizen battled him as she had lay dying under rubble.

The spiritual pressure abruptly died down, cleansed of any Hollow taint. Pure Soul Reaper, nothing else.

Very, very strange; only stranger when the pressure dropped further, lower than the kid-captain's. Much lower.

She took that as a signal to approach. The Soul Reaper hybrid definitely would have noticed her presence—she had her entire unreleased power buffered around her in a cocoon.

She sighed and prepared her greeting as she resumed in Sonido. What to say? Hello I'm Tier Harribel? You're intruding in the land of the Hollows? She shook her head and decided to do what any Hollow would—use instinct. When a weaker Hollow crossed path with a stronger, instinct was all you had.

After some time, a figure atop a dune entered view. She buzzed down onto the sand, disturbing as few grains as possible with her polished heels.

This was it.

She buzzed forward, stopping within fifteen meters to the side of the sitting Soul Reaper. He was clearly a Soul Reaper. Male. Neck length, spiky orange hair. Black sheath, black-red hilt. Black clothing. White coat. Clearly a new captain—perhaps even a new head captain.

She withdrew her spiritual pressure and said, "Soul Reaper." Her voice was stern but not hostile.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Another short 3k chapter. Just more internal thoughts and reactions to the happenings of the plot.**

 **Next Chapter will be much longer, made of two major scenes.**

 **Ichigo will meet Tier. Maybe they just talk. Maybe they fight. Maybe more.**

 **Grimmjow fights Hollow Karin.**


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

The Arrancar finally arrived.

Ichigo exhaled and retreated from his calming meditation, then tasted the Arrancar's spiritual pressure for any ill intent that he might have missed. The texture was incredibly defined—soft but sturdy. Powerful and dignified… Feminine. Perhaps he wouldn't loose his cool after all.

"Soul Reaper," an accented voice stated from the right. Soothing and elegant, a firm contralto ringing with authority. Something about the Mediterranean accent deeply appealed to him. He filed away the thought, locking it in a cabinet that his girlfriends would never find—hopefully.

Soifon and Yoruichi… He remembered why he was here in the first place. "Tell me," he said without looking at her. "Did you send that wasp into the Rukongai? Are you doing this because of Aizen?"

Ten seconds passed without any response or movement. A light scowl pulled at Ichigo's brow. "Arrancar." He stood, turning to the female. "I said did you send—"

Her features slapped the sentence out of his breath. She had tan skin, neck-length, messing blond hair, and overly revealing clothing. She wore a special kind of leggings that didn't cover the side of her hips—like Soifon's but more revealing. Her stomach was exposed, only a zip-up jacket covering the top half of her breasts—as large as Yoruichi's he noted—and bottom half of her face like a reverse-shawl. She was undeniably sexy; he could devour her whole right now. The fact that he hadn't fucked in over two days wasn't helping.

Mentally slapping himself, he shook off the encroaching desire for the potential enemy—who still hadn't hadn't answered his question. He raised his spiritual pressure to that of Byakuya's and repeated, "Arrancar! Did you send that wasp to attack Soul Society?!"

Her eyes remained blank but widened by a fraction, highlighting her long, golden eyelashes. She had aqua-teal irises—so exotic. His cheeks flushed. A brewing conflict waged between Ichigo's head and waist.

"No," she said, her voice somehow clear behind the high collar.

So she knew about that thing. "Then tell me everything you know."

A frown crept through her smooth brow. She held it for half a minute as Ichigo stiffened. She shifted her footing, her white boots crunching on the sand. "I do not know of what you are talking about."

Ichigo studied her for a considerable number of heartbeats. He couldn't read her stiff yet graceful body language; her jacket obscured her mouth when she talked. Her tone was confident and neutral. A skilled liar perhaps—like Aizen. It would explain the need to cover her face. Tensa could have been wrong about this Arrancar…

He grimaced. "Then where the hell did that thing come from?! It had the spirit energy of a Hollow. You should have noticed something like that here—you're the strongest Arrancar in Hueco Mundo from what I sensed!" He took a breath, looking away from the attractive Hollow for a moment.

"I do not know of what you're talking about," she said more forcefully.

A spark of anger shot up his chest. "Like hell you d—"

"I assume this wasp was a Hollow since you do not explicitly refer to it as such. Why don't you…" she said and crossed her arms under her breasts. "Describe it in detail. I might not be recalling."

What was she playing at? Stalling? She probably felt his Hollowfication earlier, and his bursts of spirit energy. She couldn't outrun him if her earlier speed was indicative. Slow and erratic. But he noticed a hilt sticking out from behind her shoulder—her sealed Zanpukto. How powerful was she? If she was behind this all… then perhaps she had the power of the higher plane as well; the power of transcendence. She was a hybrid after all.

After a minute, Ichigo decided to indulge. "A bit bigger than me—"

"Only a bit bigger?"

"Yes, a bit," he snapped, irritated at the interruption. "White skin, wings, two holes in its chest—bigger than regular Hollow holes. As powerful as a captain. Could turn invisible to those weaker. Looked like a wasp with a half human head—"

"Haven't seen anything like it," she said, arms still crossed. "And I've seen a my fair share of Vasto Lorde."

His eyes widened at that statement. A clear slip. "So you know it was a Vasto Lorde?"

She sighed. "Only a Vasto Lorde can be of that size and strength. Though its second hole is puzzling."

"How do you know it wasn't an Arrancar?"

"I don't." Her tone was smooth. Like she'd been preparing for this.

His scowl grew, pulling at every muscle in his face. "Don't play games with me! Why did you send a transcended being to attack us?! It could have killed everyone in the Rukongai!" And my lovers, he silently added. A twinge of grief shook his stomach.

Her arms dropped. "Transcended being?"

"Yes!" he said and flared his spiritual pressure. She responded with a shield of her own. "Its spirit energy was on the level of the higher plane."

"Higher plane?"

His hand twitched towards his Zanpukto, his patience nearing its limit. "Spirit energy so dense, so bright, that it surpasses the limit of Soul Reapers and Hollows. The power of such beings is incredible. A captain wouldn't last ten seconds against one." He waited for her response as she stared with those blank eyes. He couldn't get a read on her.

"I've never heard of such a thing," she said, then her head tilted by an angle Ichigo almost missed. Her messy golden locks shifted in the windless air. Quite alluring. She was definitely playing with him. "I assume you are also a transcended being since you are still alive? Or did you manage to escape? How many souls did it kill? Is that why you are so agitated?"

A frozen picture of Soifon crying over Yoruichi burst into his mind. His stomach heaved. The ambient Hollow energy affected him too much. He'd need to leave—soon. "That's none of your business," he snapped. "Tell me the truth dammit!"

She inhaled. Her eyes tightened. "What if I tell you I am telling the truth?"

A blast of wind blew forth from a slip of his spirit energy. "Don't give me that bullshit!"

Raising her palm, she shielded her face with a wall of her own power. Clear strain marred her attractive features. "So you will force me into submission with your spiritual power? You are just like Aizen."

That last word clicked for Ichigo. Aizen. Aizen and his army of Arrancar. This Arrancar was as powerful as Ulquiorra. "Espada!" His spiritual pressure engulfed the dune, compacting the sand into a rough solid. "Are you attacking Soul Society because of Aizen? For revenge?!"

Her eyes glared. "You are correct that I was an Espada…" Her words were slow and deliberate.

"If you're the one responsible for this—"

"But I have nothing to do with the Hollow attacks… or the transcended being you fought. Nor do I care for Aizen or anything he stood for." Her footing shifted. She stood straighter, almost imposing over Ichigo with her beauty and cool spiritual pressure that he'd now gotten used to. But…

"So you know about the Hollow attacks! You said you don't know what I'm talking about!" He held the sheath of his blade, the creased edge digging into his fingers. "Why the fuck are you doing this? You'll never win! Aizen wasn't powerful enough and neither are you!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Soul Reaper." Her glare grew vicious. "I don't have the information you are looking for."

"Lies," he spat and tightened the grip over his sheath. He was nearing his limit to this charade. "You're an Espada."

He stared into this unwavering teal eyes for the longest seconds. Truly, she was something else, intoxicating. The way she held herself and spoke—all charming him despite the fact she was an enemy. Despite the fact she could be responsible for Yoruichi and Soifon's ordeal. He returned her scowl two-fold, awaiting her response. "Start talking."

The seconds passed, her eyes and stance relaxing into… resignation? He held his breath as she spoke softly, "I am almost… glad… that Aizen is dead. He was nothing but a foolish traitor with no care for his subordinates when they needed him the most. Not for Starrk. Not for my Fraccion. Not for Nelliel. He does not protect those under him as I do. No… I do not seek vengeance for his pitiful sake."

Finally a truthful answer—though he only half believed her. Heavy emotion coated her words. Anger, disappointment, despair. That and the fact she apparently thought Aizen had been killed and not sealed. But her reveal only raised more questions. The queries buzzed in his skull, one standing out more than the others.

Nel! His eyes bulged. He'd forgotten the azure-haired Arrancar—thanks to his perverted escapades with the girls, and training with Tensa Zangetsu. "Where's Nel?! What have you done to her?!"

She frowned. "She's safe."

Another hostage taken by the Espada. Great. He growled. "Where is she?! If you've hurt her—"

"How do you know Nel?" Tone neutral and glimmered with light curiosity.

"We've met. Answer the question dammit!"

"Do you understand that she was also an Espada? We are much alike…" She paused for a moment, a twinkle of amusement dancing across her eyes.

Before Ichigo could speak, she took hold the bottom of her jacket and fingered the tiny zip, then slowly pulled upwards, revealing her ample breasts and remnants of her Hollow mask. Fearsome large teeth and white bone covered the bottom half of her face, extending down her neck. Her nipples were barely covered—to his disappointment.

He tore his gaze away from her chest. What the hell was she doing? Trying to seduce him? "Quit the act. Start talking or I'll beat the answers out of you." Though a part of him despised hurting such a sexy creature. Perhaps he'll be gentle—in one way but not another.

Again, she frowned. She looked down, to her chest, and fondled the underside of her right breast for a good while. A soft glow of spirit energy gleamed under her palm. Ichigo blushed at the sight. "Hmmm… It is gone… Interesting." she mumbled.

He almost stuttered, "What's gone?"

She didn't stop feeling her breast. "My rank tattoo."

"And what of it." He swallowed any urge to tackle her into the sand and have his way with her.

"The number three. The same as Nelliel's. We are much alike, as I said. It is strange that you have such concern for her while you are so hostile to me. But that could just be because we've met under different circumstances."

He didn't know what make of her explanation. "Stop changing the subject. Tell me what you did to Nel and why you are attacking Soul—" He remembered Nel's cracked Hollow Mask. "Did you attack Nel for her rank, turning her into a child?"

She finally let go of her breast. "No. That was not my doing."

Enough. He had all he could handle of her shit. There was only one way to know if she was telling the truth and the whole truth. He'd have to release his blade to test if she really knew not of transcended spirit energy, and then beat any information out of her. The only way to discover her true intent was to feel the Reishi of her Zanpukto blade and soul—with his bare hand, as had done with Aizen. He breathed. "Last chance." His voice dipped to murmur as he unsheathed his Katana.

She backstepped. "This is the final time I will say this." Irritation bubbled through her voice. She sounded dangerous, predatory and dominant. He wondered if she was more powerful than the wasp, which couldn't be possible if her weak spiritual pressure was indicative. "I don't have anything to do with what you're looking for. Nel is safe and under my protection. Perhaps you should leave. There is nothing here for you, Soul Reaper."

In a spit of temper, Ichigo blurted out the first threat that came to mind. "Start talking or I'll cut you down and spank the truth out of you." He almost choked on the words before realising he meant it. He'd do much more than just spank the seductive Arrancar.

Her arms dropped limp. She stared with wide eyes for many seconds till her left fingers twitched. "What did you just say?" Her tone was mischievous.

"You heard me." A rising blush coated his neck. "Start talking or I'll tie you down and spank you!"

Her eyes closed. "I see."

"I'm serious."

"Of course."

In that moment, she was a stark but beautiful clone of Byakuya. A gag threated to send Ichigo to his knees. "Well? Are you going to talk?"

"I've already told you the truth."

"Fine then!" He pushed a sizable portion of his spirit energy into his blade. He'd enjoy this—very much.

She huffed. "You are an idiot." Her spiritual pressure increased to what he assumed to be her maximum, nearly affecting Ichigo. "The boy-captain wasn't affected by my advantage over males. But it appears that you are... critically vulnerable." She reached to her leggings and pulled at the string, letting the white fabric fall around her sleek, tanned legs and a near-invisible thong. A Hollow Hole cut through her lower abdomen.

He would have stared like a dazed animal, but this was the time to be serious. He'd seen and felt enough naked women now that he'd built up a limited tolerance. Even against luscious, busty blondes who were so rare in Soul Society and Japan. He shook his head. "Acting like that isn't going to help you." He raised his Katana to release.

A thought hit him as the words of his release command left his lips. He'd left his other blade with the girls. Could he still release? Was he still weakened to half power? Tensa hadn't recovered yet. If this Arrancar was as powerful as that wasp… This could be a close, drawn-out battle. A well of fear dug into his chest. A part of his mind also noticed the hot Arrancar snatch a hollowed-out sword from behind her shoulder.

"Hunt, Tiburon!" her voice rang with a deathly pulse of spiritual pressure.

An eruption of water cut off his release command. Too much water. Torrents gushed at him mixed with the Arrancar's spiritual pressure till all he saw was foam and dark grey. Instinctively shielding himself with spiritual pressure, he flash stepped backwards, dripping wet, and coughed up ice-cold spittle from the unexpected attack.

Water spun in a vortex in front of Ichigo, undulating with rising spirit energy till it formed a heart shape beneath the crescent moon. He steadied himself as it abruptly split, revealing the Arrancar's released form and blade and attire. She wore a loose bone mini-skirt that didn't cover much, and a world of the living styled bikini top that covered even less. Her mask was gone. His jaw slacked at the sight.

She raised her oversized tooth-shaped blade at him. Her spiritual pressure rose to heights of the elder captains. "Cascada," she said menacingly.

More water rushed at him. He braced himself and raised his weakened pressure to the maximum, only to be pinned into soggy sand by countless tonnes of icy liquid. He hadn't expected this much water. He barely noticed the Arrancar disappear with a buzz. She moved so fast—he could just make out her movement.

Gathering spirit energy, Ichigo dispersed the water with a crack of his spiritual pressure. The effort it had taken to break the attack was surprising. The Arrancar was powerful—much more powerful than Ulquiorra.

He groaned, then stood and jumped into the air. Dribbles of water leaked from his soaked clothing. He shook his head, spraying drops from his wild hair. She'd definitely get a lot more than a spanking… though his three girlfriends wouldn't like that.

Rukia and Soifon definitely wouldn't like that… They were feisty and temperamental.

Yoruichi though… Ichigo wasn't sure what she'd do.

And come to think of it… He wasn't sure why she had abruptly joined him and Rukia—and then pulled Soifon into their group. Bizarre. New questions fermented in his head that should have been asked days ago. What was Yoruichi's interest in him? Was he only a fling to her? A momentary lustful escapade? Was it the same with Soifon? Ichigo could understand Rukia for she'd grown to be his other half, his own frozen sun that shielded him from the rain.

But even a fling wasn't a lousy proposition. He wanted sex too much.

His wet skin bristled. He'd have to talk to his girlfriends upon return… right after he finished this investigation. He swore under his breath and refocused on that Arrancar.

Fifty miles to the east—heading to Las Noches. She was fast, faster than his weakened unreleased state, but not as fast as his Shikai.

He breathed—time to test if he could release at all… Otherwise, he'd be playing cat and mouse for an indefinite time.

seventy miles. Shit. She somehow doubled her speed.

This was it. Now or never.

A gulp clunked down his throat.

A hundred miles.

Ichigo ignored her increasing speed as best as he could and recited his painfully long release command in a jumble of words. The rhymes and cadences lacked the usual drip and echo of power—strange. His inner snowflake-seal didn't pulsate like a star, didn't blind his inner eye with sheer energy, but nevertheless shattered when he pushed into the ascended plane.

"Tensa Zangetsu," he bellowed and swung his single blade, pushing the entirety of his spirit energy into the metal.

Black and red swirled in a cyclone. His Shihakshou and coat melded with the Reishi of his release, forming a sleek black overcoat—his old Bankai coat, now his apparent Shikai. He held his Zanpukto to the moonlight, examining the familiar matte-black blade and extended chain that wrapped up his single exposed arm. A bang of hair entered the edge of his eye, still orange. He realised, he'd lost power taken from the Final Getsuga while Tensa remains drained. No Mugetsus. Not too bad.

He hesitated before jumping into a chase. What if he needed his full strength for this? That Arrancar could have a second release much like Ulquiorra except stronger—her first release was much more powerful than the bat-Arrancar's. Could an Arrancar achieve transcendence? Perhaps. Rukia and himself were Hollow-Shinigami hybrids too.

Though she'd only been rank three. Kyoraku's report of his battle against the Primera didn't indicate their overall power was a significant threat. The old captain hadn't even released his Bankai.

But if she truly was the master of the wasp, then she could have recently evolved. Hollows constantly grow after all.

But if that was so—why run?

Perhaps he should have trusted Tensa's whimsical judgement.

Curious. Very curious. Ichigo inclined his head, and decided in a heartbeat.

Chase.

The night and dunes of Hueco Mundo distorted into long, colourful lines as he flash stepped. Miles and Miles slipped by in under a second as he closed in on her spiritual signature. Thirty miles. Fifteen. Five.

Ichigo released the pull on his spirit energy and halted, blocking her path. The blurred world settled, leaving a stillness in the air high over the dunes. The Arrancar flinched back.

"How?" she breathed. Her eyes bulged; her stance morphed into a defence.

Ichigo started to believe her. But there was still only one way to find out if she'd been deceiving him.

"Prepare yourself." Ichigo lunged at a sluggish pace, blade drawn for a sideways slash, careful not to overwhelm her just yet—she still hadn't released her Segunda if she had one. He'd need to give her that chance. Part of his soul yearned for combat; the other part didn't wish to harm this beautiful creature.

Time slowed as his blade neared. The Arrancar's movements were all too visible to him. Ichigo slowed his swing and held back to his minimum vigor, allowing a harmless parry with her oversized sharktook-shaped Zanpukto.

Their weapons met with sparks and a clang. Ebony against white, ginger bangs brushing against hers.

He took hold of her blade with his free hand.

Her sharktooth cracked. She gasped as her grip shook.

But that didn't matter, for Ichigo felt heart and soul and every emotion coursing through the beautiful blonde. Frantic worry—worry for someone… worry for her companions if his read on her was precise. She cared for them like he cared for his lovers and friends. How a Hollow could feel this was beyond Ichigo. She was just like Nel and her Fraccion.

Then there was swirling confusion. She didn't understand him and what'd happened. His strength. His speed. His lack of spiritual pressure. His ambiguous, brash interrogation. Her confusion stormed into hopelessness. She'd tried her best—no deception; she'd been genuine and pure as a Hollow could be. She had a heart, physically and spiritually, unlike any other Hollow he ever fought.

But on top of everything, a tremendous weight of sadness and regret shackled her heart. The sensation nauseated Ichigo as he delved deeper. Maybe this was remnants of regret that turned her into a Hollow. Or maybe a natural melancholy which developed from several lifetimes spent in this purgatory. He could only guess now—as he'd guessed when he felt Aizen's loneliness. Her anguish seeped into Ichigo for her soul was shockingly similar to his. Too similar. He swore that droplets of rain started pelting his shoulder.

Too much. Ichigo pulled his Zanpukto away and lowered it two feet. He'd been utterly and pathetically wrong despite his best attempt at keeping a cool head. Tensa was right—as usual.

Surprise flickered across the Arrancar's features. A heartbeat later she twisted around, uppercutting with her undamaged edge.

"Wait—"

Her spiritual pressure swelled close to the higher plane.

Ichigo's pulse thudded up his neck. Instinct took over. His arm rotated to respond.

His blade sliced through hers like he just sliced through soft stone. It didn't stop, tearing through flesh, muscle, and organs in her belly. He hit her spine. Crimson iron liquid splashed onto his face.

She screamed. A horrible sound that rang into the depths of Ichigo's psyche. Regret and guilt instantly clamped his body. His hearted shuddered.

Her body went limp as she bled and her spiritual pressure faltered. She lost her footing and fell onto the sand.

Ichigo stared and stared and stared while those dying aqua eyes bored into his soul.

Shit.

"Arrancar!" he roared, flashing down to her. He had to stop the bleeding—somehow, someway.

Her lips wheezed and sputtered blood.

Ichigo reached for his Wakizashi, only to find air.

Shit.

He looked left. He looked right. Nothing but sand. Of course there'll be nothing but sand!

"Tensa! Help me!" he shouted, desperate for something.

Seconds passed as the Arrancar stained the dune red. Only silence echoed in Ichigo's pounding head. "Dammit!"

He looked to Las Noches. Not too far for his speed.

"Stay alive. I'm taking you to your base," he said and picked her up bridal style, careful to not cut her with his blade. He fed his spirit energy into her heart and wound. It seemed to help when the bleeding slowed. "Alright? Arrancar?"

She choked up incoherent words as her nails dug into his skin.

Ichigo flash stepped towards Las Noches at maximum speed, careful to not jolt her.

"T-T—Tier Har—Harribel," she said along the way, "Don't hurt my followers."

Two seconds passed before Ichigo understood that was her name. He nodded. "I won't," he said and swallowed. He'd never forgive himself if he let her die. It was all his fault, all over again.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Enjoy! Please review and follow! All feedback welcome!**


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

The Arrancar, Tier Harribel, was loosing too much blood, far too much. Sticky, warm crimson drenched the lower half of Ichigo's Shikai Shihakshou as he flew through the skies of Las Noches at immeasurable speeds. Tier moaned and coughed into his chest. He gritted his teeth and kept dashing forward.

Ichigo adjusted his hold on her, as gently as his transcended state allowed for, and examined the wound in her belly, still oozing blood and other clear liquids. He'd cut through her belly and lower-ribs without thinking… Without any effort or meeting any resistance from her body. Her human-like body. Far too human. He'd assume she was if her breasts weren't covered by strips of thin bone.

She felt soft and weak, like he could crush her by accident. The thought gnawed at Ichigo's throat, a jagged lump of guilt refusing to dislodge.

Damn it all to hell.

Why did she have to attack like that? Why didn't she just answer clearly?

Ichigo grumbled a hot breath, seeing again the critical moment where he'd lost control and reacted—out of instict. Out of fear that she'd been hiding her true power from him. His blade had moved like a black death. The same blade he held now, inches from her flesh. Her scream echoed in his mind, hideous, unbearable to hear over and over again.

A wheeze cut off the phantom memory. Tier's sleek muscles clenched against Ichigo's arms. Her spirit energy and pressure dwindled, not even on Renji's level now. She was losing lifeforce like a dying human or Shinigami.

Ichigo had to do something… She was innocent. She had nothing to do with the wasp. She was like him in many ways when he felt her soul through her sharktooth blade. They were both protectors. Both willing to sacrifice themselves for their comrades. Both pure of heart but tainted with a fowl corruption.

He couldn't let her die. No way. He reached deeper into his energy well, drew a sizable river to feed her and another stream to boost his speed, the desert blurring to pure grey before Las Noches. Dry wind buffeted around a shield of spiritual pressure that Ichigo conjured without thought.

Tier groaned, the burst of speed jolting her frame. Blood leaked into the wind.

Ichigo fed her more of his spirit energy, more than what he could afford. "Tier, hang on," he said, a hand on her cheek, "I'm sorry. I didn't meant to—"

Her brilliant teal eyes rolled to him. Splatters of blood splashed onto Ichigo's face as she attempted to speak. He tasted iron and salt, resisting to gag or spit with all willpower.

Why did she have to be a beautiful, scantily dressed Arrancar? It made this all the more worse for a reason he couldn't quite grasp. Maybe it was his shallow lust. Or maybe Tier reminded him so much of his girlfriends whom he'd almost failed to protect. Tier's wound looked the same as Yoruichi's—except this time Ichigo couldn't rely on Tensa's Hogyoku powers.

Ichigo wiped his mouth on his sleeve and blinked back the moisture in his eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted answers. My girlfriends were hurt. I just wanted answers dammit!"

Her eyes narrowed, staring him down, pinning him against the waves of moonlight. Something about those exotic eyes tore down all of Ichigo's walls and left him bare for her to read. He swallowed and met her gaze for the longest seconds, not daring to look away while feeding her a copious river of his spirit energy. This was his fault as much as it was hers. Las Noches began to near by the time her glare faded.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo said again and shook his head. "I'm still getting used to my new strength. I could make it right in an instant if I had my other blade with me but I don't."

"Your—" Tier choked, spraying a small blood arc. "Powers? High— Higher plane?"

Ichigo nodded. "I'm on a level which you can't sense. Just like that wasp I fought back in Soul Society." He bristled, Yoruichi's wound flashing in his mind. "You can't feel it but I'm feeding you my energy to keep you alive. I don't know any healing Kido but your soul is reacting well to my spirit energy."

"Whe—" She moaned in pain, the muscles in her abdomen tightening. Hundreds of sweat beads gathered around her open wound that'd begun to coagulate at the edges. Dark veins branched from the cut. Her condition was improving ever so slightly. She smelt of sea salt and coconut oils, a likely natural musk.

"Don't talk," Ichigo said, "We're almost there."

Tier nodded, wincing as Ichigo picked up the speed once more. Her slender body nestled against his well. Too well.

The cracked dome of Las Noches now filled over three quarters of the night sky beneath the moon, grey as the passing desert. Ichigo grimaced. Memories of his first expedition to this Hollow world resurfaced, a thousand images passing through his eyes. Orihime's capture. Chad and Uryu. Renji and Rukia. Ulquiorra. Grimmjow. His inner Holl— His true Zapakuto spirit that'd both saved and almost killed him as his friends. He sighed, burying the memories before touching down at an open entrance, a hundred feet above the sand.

Tier pulled at his sleeve. "Don't hurt them," she breathed.

"I promised. I won't." Though Ichigo never met her Fraccion and followers, he assumed them to be at least somewhat humane like Tier. There'd be definite problems if they were all Grimmjow-esque. But not Nel. She was just like Tier, except more kind and innocent in ways.

And she could heal Tier!

A weight of worry lifted off Ichigo's shoulders. "Nel can heal you." He offered Tier a small smile.

"Obv— Obviously." Her tone was steady.

She was healing—fast. She'd definitely live. Warm relief washed through him. "Yeah." He flash stepped into the hallway and kept up a drip feed of spirit energy for her.

Breathing in the familiar dusty scent, he considered sealing his Shikai. It'd make him much less dangerous and the reduce the chance of accidents… but the collapse of his spiritual pressure could injure Tier again. Her own spiritual pressure wavered at that less of a Lieutenants—peculiar considering that her Resurreccion hadn't faded. Her severed sharktooth blade hung limp in her grip.

"Tier," he said softly and stopped in a lit corridor. The white light coils flickered.

Her eyes snapped to him, more alert than before.

Ichigo hesitated, those teal orbs casting a hypnotic effect. "If I seal my Shikai it will be safer for your followers. If I lose my concentration I could hurt someone just by touching them but…" he trailed off. Would Tier put herself through more pain for her followers? For her friends? Did she even consider them as friends and not subordinates like Aizen? For some reason, Ichigo couldn't imagine Tier treating her Fraccion like that.

"Yes?" she said.

The gaping wound across her belly was still bleeding lightly, stemmed by Ichigo's efforts. He couldn't leave her side else she die from bloodloss. Like a human. But perhaps he could risk sealing—if he first bathed her in his spirit energy. It'd only take a few seconds at most. "The collapse of my spiritual pressure will be intense. Prepare yourself." He set her down against the wall, then backed away as far as possible.

Her eyes ballooned.

Three heartbeats passed and she didn't signal resistance.

So be it.

Ichigo calmed his breathing and encased her with his spirit energy, focusing on her wound. A second later, the snowflake seal formed in his mind, already taking hold of his power. "Now," he said concentrating on on his Zanpakuto and forcing the entirety of his power into the seal.

The lights shattered and Tier screamed. Her blonde locks shook wildly as she tensed. He heard a single bone crack in her luscious body, impaling Ichigo's neck with another guilty barb. He'd make this right one way or another. His black and red spirit energy swirled as the longest three seconds passed.

"There," he said and looked over his body and clothing—back to a regular Shihakusho and captains' coat. A single katana sat in his grip. He sheathed it and walked to Tier. "Are you okay?"

"Terrific." Tough and stubborn—that's what she was. Just like Ichigo. Her contralto voice was strained but much stronger than before despite the additional injury. Ichigo's spirit energy acted as a weak healing Kido here. A bizarre development. He'd need to ask Yamamoto about this. Or Unohana.

"Alright, let's go." He scooped her up, careful to not disturb her frame too much. "Where's Nel and—"

She closed her eyes and a wave of her spiritual pressure passed through him. A Pesquisa, weak but sturdy enough that it'll last for the length of Las Noches. Ichigo couldn't mimic her without activating his Hollowfication. And in his sealed state, his spiritual sense was far inferior within these Sekkiseki lined walls.

"That way," Tier said, nudging her head forward. "They're coming. They're close. Wait in the room to the right. Let me speak."

"Right." He strode down the corridor and turned when she motioned, leading him to a door marked with a four. Four? "Was this Ulquiorra's room?" His ears tingled, sparks of anger dancing on his face.

"Yes."

"Fine."

Ichigo swallowed and pushed on the silver frame, preparing for the worst. Preparing for some kind of torture chamber that Orihime might've been kept in.

What greeted him was surprising beyond anything he'd seen since merging with the Hogyoku.

No spikes. No demonic statues. No blood stains. A lavish room laid before Ichigo, quite bland and grey, but comfortable if he had to live here. A sofa of black leather sat next to a bookshelf. Old, wrinkly writings filled every shelf to the brim, two books fallen onto the stone floor.

Ichigo's gaze drifted to the left, to a wall-sized window. The ever-crescent moon shone through the direct centre, onto the sofa. This couldn't be Ulquiorra's room.

"Wow," he quipped. "This was Ulquiorra's room?"

"Yes. He liked to read."

"That's not the Uquiorra I knew." Ichigo shrugged. What that bastard was really like didn't matter anyway. He was dead.

"It's natural. You were enemies. Put me down." Tier's warm breath tickled his neck. Her coconut scent was delicious—not a thought he wanted to have. His girlfriends would neck him if they knew. Especially Soifon. She was feisty.

Ichigo mumbled and looked her up and down, ignoring her wound as best as he could.

Truly, she was a goddess.

But he couldn't have her. He already had three girlfriends… He couldn't take another. And how could he be so attracted to an Arrancar? To an Espada who'd fought for Aizen—like Ulquiorra. They'd been enemies to the death only months prior… But she was so beautiful, so human-like and similar to himself.

He shook his head, put the thought to the side, and laid Tier onto the couch before an urge to grope her took hold. Her breasts were full and far too inviting.

She exhaled and let her oversized blade clunk to the floor. Strangely, her release still wouldn't fade, still seemingly stable despite her massive blood and spirit energy loss. Grimmjow had reverted to his base form moments after his defeat—and his injuries hadn't been as fatal.

It had to be one of her special abilities. Arrancars were like that sometimes. Ulquiorra could regenerate. The Arrancar Rukia fought could take another Hollow's powers. The one Kyoraku fought apparently was split into two souls. Tier must be also unique.

Ichigo asked, "Why hasn't your Resurreccion—"

Light footsteps and a buzz sounded from the doorway.

Annoyed, Ichigo turned and reached out with his meagre sense, finding three arrivals—and a much weaker fourth. That had to be Nel, still a child.

"They're here," Tier said, "step aside." That ring of authority had returned to her musical voice.

Ichigo moved to the window without question, then closed his eyes and took a breath. Here he was, drenched in the blood of a beautiful Arrancar whom he had dealt the injury to and caring for as well. Meanwhile, his girlfriends, mostly Rukia, was worried for him in Soul Society. How the hell did his life become so complicated?

* * *

A/N Happy new year! A short chapter for now… might add to it once I do another round of editing… Been busy. Next chap will be longer I promise. So I think Tier will be the final addition to the Harem. I think four a good number and even pushing it.


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